Streams Of Consciousness, Dec. 9

The DREAM Act passed the House yesterday, as expected, 216-198. Only 8 Republicans voted in favor, while 38 Democrats crossed the aisle in the other direction and voted with the Republicans. Of the 38 Know Nothing Democrats, 15 were conservatives who had been defeated last month, every one of them because their voting records depressed turnout of Democrats and left-leaning independents at the same time when the GOP base was fired up and ready for their version of Change. Perhaps these losers think they can come back and win in 2012 but I can't imagine how. Republicans and right-leaning independents have incumbents to support. And why would anyone who wants Democratic values and principles bother to come out and vote for one of these freaks next time? To get more me-too-Republicansism? The losers from last month who voted against the DREAM Act were:

Mike Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY)
John Boccieri (OH)
John Boucher (VA)
Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Chris Carney (Blue Dog-PA)
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA)
Brad Ellsworth (Blue Dog-IN)
John Kanjorski (PA)
Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)
Patrick Murphy (Blue Dog-PA)
Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA)
Zach Space (Blue Dog-OH)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
Charles Wilson (Blue Dog-OH)

The Republicans have learned the lesson of appealing to their base. Democrats who don't-- who try appealing to the Republican base, in fact-- will continue to lose into the foreseeable future. The losers didn't agree with Speaker Pelosi when she got up on the House floor and explained how "tonight we have an opportunity to identify with the aspirations of our founders. We know if we are going to have a better future for our country it is important for us to recognize the children who are here.” And they certainly didn't agree with Raúl Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who was overjoyed.

“This is an important milestone on the road to a better, fairer nation,” Grijalva said after the vote. “The children of undocumented parents who excel in school, play sports alongside their friends, aspire to the same professional dreams as their peers, and contribute just as much as anyone to the success of this nation need a chance to become U.S. citizens. Our current laws unreasonably punish them for the decisions of their parents. Everyone who truly believes in the American dream and a level playing field should support the DREAM Act, and I salute the House for its farsighted decision this evening.”

Grijalva called the vote “a historic affirmation of the American values of inclusion, sacrifice and determination. The children and students who deserve the chance to become American citizens share those values as much as we all do, and that’s why this vote is so important. Their efforts and their struggle will not be in vain.”

The bill now goes to the Senate, where Grijalva urged swift passage.

“Republicans have called this bill ‘amnesty’ and thrown the kitchen sink at it in order to keep the broken status quo broken a little longer,” Grijalva said. “In the end, fairness and justice will prevail.”

The DREAM Act was originally co-sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who decided earlier this year that he would no longer support the bill.

“There is no legitimate reason to keep millions of hard-working young people in legal limbo, fearful of imminent arrest, because of decisions their parents made years ago,” Grijalva said. “I hope the Senate understands that tonight, and I believe the American people already agree.”

And now on to face a GOP Senate filibuster and far more conservative Democrats.

England Is A Dog's World Now

I'm in London as I write this today. They're having a different student problem, a move by their own conservatives to raise tuition fees. It's a very cold winter here, very, very cold. People are dying of cold. Elderly people are riding the underground all day to keep warm. The Conservative-LibDem government is on the same kind of pigheaded austerity kick Obama-McConnell wants to drag America into.

There's a huge dog story in today's newspapers. It's about Harrod's new pet spa. I see the Baltimore Sun covered it as well, and with the same picture of Caesar (up top).

Harrods, the famous luxury London department store, is throwing open its elegant doors to furry kind with the opening of its new pet spa.

The Pet Spa at Harrods is just opened. The department store unabashedly calls it "the world's premier destination for canine chic and feline sleek."

It's for VIPS, they say. Very Important Pets. Oh but of course. What other kind would be offered the likes of full body massages, animal reiki and personal training sessions? What other kind would sign up for a full day of indulgent mud baths, exfoliating or moisturizing blueberry vanilla facials and deluxe pedicures?

The Pet Spa is located on Harrods' fourth floor. Treatments start at about $100. If you need to ask about the price, this really isn't your place.

Their pedicure, for crying out loud, is so, so much better than the quickie polish-and-go I allow myself during the summer. The pups get a vanilla and milk-thistle paw soak, steam towels to soften paw pads, an application of conditioner. Nail polish, too. The dog in the above picture got his nails painted blue.

And like any day at the spa worth its sea salt, there's also complimentary lunch, an afternoon nap, noon tea with canine cookies, a cologne spritz. Fashionable dogs can even sign up for a custom coat session with a Harrods stylist.

And the spa isn't just for dogs. They'll do cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters. For "the body conscious tortoise," there's an olive oil treatment for their shell, a rehydrating body wash and pedi.

A page or two before the picture of Caesar in the spa was the U.K. most people are experiencing, the England with freezing seniors and students flipping out over Conservative-Lib-Dem tuition increases.

Nick Clegg has failed in an attempt to head off a presentational disaster for his party, and Liberal Democrat MPs will split three ways this week when the Commons votes on plans to almost treble university tuition fees.

Tension is mounting at Westminster ahead of Thursday's crunch vote on the Coalition's proposal to allow universities to charge up to £9,000 a year in fees.

Government whips say approval of the package is "not certain" because of the chaos in Liberal Democrat ranks. "It's not in the bag yet," said one source. Whips believe the vote is so tight that a handful of Tory MPs could scupper the fees increase by opposing it.

A plan for all 57 Liberal Democrats to abstain, which would have ensured the Government a majority, has collapsed after about 10 backbenchers insisted on voting against the fees rise. To counteract that effect, Nick Clegg, and Vince Cable, who is responsible for higher education as Business Secretary, will vote in favour.

But Mr Clegg is not even sure yet that all five Liberal Democrat Cabinet ministers will support the package, as he wishes. Danny Alexander, the Chief Treasury Secretary, and Michael Moore, the Scotland Secretary, will follow his lead. But Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary and the man Mr Clegg beat for the Liberal Democrat leadership in 2007, is keeping his cards close to his chest. He is due to return from the climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico, for Thursday's vote but one Liberal Democrat source admitted: "He is maintaining radio silence."