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Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who introduced a resolution to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his leadership post, is taking to Twitter to share messages from supporters of his measure.

Republicans are demanding Rangel step aside as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee due to accusations of irregularities on his most recent financial disclosure forms and failure to pay taxes on certain real estate properties.

Carter -- or a member of his staff -- is culling "direct replies" (tweets directly addressed at Carter) and re-tweeting them (sending them out to the rest of his 2,000+ followers).

Here is a sample of the messages sent to the fourth-term congressman:

RT @plove360 @JudgeCarter Watching you on Cspan , Kick their butts and dont give up on the fight please

Thanks! RT @troubledblondie ur my hero to. keep going #removeRangel how dare he write tax laws for us to follow but not him! hes outta touch

Thanks RT @helensharvest I'm so proud of your courage to try to remove the corruption from our government. May God richly bless your efforts

The congressman also re-tweeted a message from fellow Texan Rep. John Culberson:

RT @johnculberson On House floor voting to remove Rangel as Chair of tax comm but Pelosi won't do it though he hides income & dodges taxes

The House just voted to table Carter's resolution.

Earlier today, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), a Rangel ally, downplayed the seriousness of the allegations against the Harlem lawmaker.

"I want to tell you, there are many members who, if you go back over all of their records, over all of the years, you're going to find that there were disclosures that were not made," Waters said during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) took to Twitter on Wednesday to tell his followers to chime in on a proposed second stimulus bill that would provide tax credits for job creation.

This morning, a group of bipartisan lawmakers expressed openness to such a bill. No House Republican voted for the first stimulus package. GOP lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration and congressional Democrats for not creating enough jobs since the first bill passed.

Using his campaign Twitter account, Cantor tweeted:

A tax credit to support job creation? Let me know what you think. http://bit.ly/yJNyR #tcot

Cantor links to a New York Times article in which he suggested a second stimulus would receive bipartisan support.

"There is a lot of traction for this kind of idea," he said. "If the White House will take the lead on this, I’m fairly positive it would be welcomed in a bipartisan fashion."

Other Republicans this morning said that the tax credit was not the best option, but is better than other proposals but forth by the White House.

After stress fractures in both of his feet forced him off ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) expressed thanks to his fans on Twitter.

DeLay suffered the injuries in mid-September and left the show yesterday after three episodes. He tweeted:

My friends, I hope you had as much fun watching us perform as we did performing. It was a great ride. Thanks for your support.

DeLay has primarily used his Twitter account to promote his "Dancing with the Stars" performances. It remains to be seen if or how he will use it now.

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) on Wednesday indicated that healthcare reform legislation may reach the House floor this month, more evidence that House Democrats are reaching a consensus on the bill.

The freshman lawmaker echoed the comments of Democratic chief deputy whip Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) who said yesterday that a the bill will reach the floor in about two weeks.

She tweeted:

Meeting all morning on health care bill details. This bill is getting much closer to coming to the floor of the House, perhaps even October.

Pingree did not indicate if the bill would include the public health insurance option, a key provision that has been hotly debated among the centrist and liberal factions of the Democratic Party.

Crowley said that the bill would have some element that would stimulate competition, but did not reveal if that mechanism was a government-run insurance plan.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) today is having breakfast with former NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning to discuss kidney disease and its affect on the black community.

Mourning knows the subject firsthand, he was diagnosed with a serious kidney disease during the 2000-2001 season and was forced to retire in 2003 after his condition worsened. Mourning eventually returned to the league in 2005. He announced his second retirement earlier this year at the age of 38.

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), a CBC member, tweeted about the breakfast with "'Zo:"

Breakfast with Alonzo Mourning and CBC members to discuss kidney disease. Important issue w/ disproportionate impact on AAs.

Mourning is no stranger to the D.C. area, he plated his college basketball at Georgetown University.

'Zo in his playing days (top right):

Bob McDonnell is making a push to win over Redskins fans, if his campaign's recent online activity is any indication.

Just minutes ago, McDonnell's campaign tweeted a message announcing an online raffle: Send a text message to 46262 ("GOBOB"), and you could see the Skins' next game compliments of the GOP candidate.

Meanwhile, the campaign's official blog posted a McDonnell logo in Redkins's colors, promising more "Redskins themed events" across the state.

And that's not all!

"Random Fact: Did you know Bob’s wife Maureen was a cheerleader for the Redskins?" the blog post asked.

So why the major push for football fans? Well, the bulk of Redskins fans live in the DC suburbs in Northern Virginia, the same region where McDonnell's social conservatism--and Democratic attacks against his controversial graduate school thesis--might cost him votes.

The president's agenda - White House
Need ACORN special counsel - Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.)
An unusual day in D.C. - Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)
It was an honor to fire the cannon - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Good job, governor - Nathan Daschle (DGA)
Give Congress 72 hours to read bills - Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.)
Dalai Lama is inspiring - Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
Nuts keep falling on ACORN - Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)
GOP objections to hate crime insertion - Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
Stimulus opposition ironic - Senate Dems

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) informed his Twitter followers that he will be among the lawmakers meeting the Dalai Lama today:

Meeting with the Dalai Lama today at 3 p.m.

Members of Congress are meeting with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday afternoon, a day after Republican lawmakers chided President Barack Obama for not meeting with the spiritual leader during his time in Washington.

The other attendees are still unknown.

GOP lawmakers yesterday accused the president of appeasing the Chinese, thereby sending the wrong message to Tibet, China and the rest of the world on human rights.

The office of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who is co-chairman of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, confirmed the meeting is taking place at 3 p.m. The Hill reported yesterday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would meet with the Dalai Lama, but it is unclear is she will appear at this meeting.

Pelosi has long been an outspoken critic of China.

The Dalai Lama has met with the president each of the 10 times he has visited the nation's capital. Most visits have been informal, except for his appearance with President George W. Bush in 2007. Then, Bush awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

On the floor of the House today, Wolf chastised Obama for not meeting with the Tibetan leader.

"I call on the president to reclaim the moral high ground and not kowtow to the Chinese government, a government that brutally oppresses its own people," he said.

The White House defended its decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama today, saying the decision was "mutual." The president will meet with the Dalai Lama later this year after he meets with Chinese leaders.

"It's important the Tibetan people know that our strong relationship with China helps them," Gibbs said during Tuesday's press briefing.

Gibbs also stressed that a strong relationship with China "allows us to talk to them about the cares and concerns of the Tibetan people."

Pelosi this morning awarded the Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize to the Dalai Lama. The award, and the commission, are named after the late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) who was a Holocaust survivor.

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room

UPDATED 3:28 P.M.

According to Wolf's office: Reps. Anh Joseph Cao (R-La.), King, Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) John Culberson (R-Texas), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Lantos Committee co-chairman Jim McGovern (D-Wash.), and Wolf (R-Va.) met with the Dalai Lama this afternoon.

All are members of the Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Speier succeeded Lantos, who died in office, in an April 2008 special election.

Rep. Mike Castle's (R-Del.) campaign created a Twitter account on Tuesday; the same day he officially announced his Senate bid.

Castle's campaign will tweet under the handle @MikeCastle2010 and currently has five followers. His first tweet was a link to an official statement announcing his campaign. It is unclear if Castle will personally tweet, or if his staff will take care of the duties.

The ninth-term congressman is expected to give Republicans a chance to pick up a Democratic held Senate seat for the first time since 2004. Castle is running for Vice President Joe Biden's old seat, which is now being held by placeholder Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.). Kaufman has said he will not run for the seat.

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the vice president's son, has been rumored to be contemplating a bid. Observers predict a Biden-Castle race would be very competitve.

House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) on Tuesday tweeted her first dispatch from Honduras, where she is meeting with de facto government officials.

After having trouble finding cell reception, the congresswoman said that "ppl...don't want Z back!" meaning President Manuel Zelaya, whom the military deposed in June.

Ros-Lehtinen, who opposes the U.S. government's support of Zelaya, tweeted:

Sorry: no Honduran tweet. Bad bberry reception. Still here. Got sweet spot for signal now. Mtngs: productive. Ppl: warm n don't want Z back!

The veteran congresswoman departed for Honduras yesterday on a fact-finding mission. Her trip comes several days after Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), another backer of the de facto government, traveled to the politically unstable country against the wishes of Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.).

Both lawmakers traveled to Honduras ahead of their November 29 elections. The de facto government, under President Roberto Micheletti, hoped that they would end the political crisis that has gripped the nation since Zelaya was removed after attempting to change the constitution. The Honduran Supreme Court ordered the move after Zelaya's move, which he did in part to eliminate term limits.

The U.S. government has said it will not recognize the results of next months elections, but both DeMint and Ros-Lehtinen support the contests.