Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security.
MORNING MESSAGE: The Conservative Flip-Flop On Disclosure
Bill Moyers: "Once upon a time conservatives supported the full disclosure of campaign contributors. Now they oppose it with their might … every Republican voted to kill the DISCLOSE Act, including fourteen who just a couple of years ago supported it … The good news is that people are fighting back. On July 5th, California joined state legislatures in Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont calling for a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United. The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding hearings July 24th and the state of Montana, which recently had its law barring corporate spending in elections struck down by the Supreme Court, has put a voter initiative on its November ballot, also calling for a constitutional amendment."
Prez Race Hinges On Role of Government
Presidential race crystallizing into choice between two visions of government. NYT: "…the president’s argument is that the every-man-for-himself ethos he attributes to his opponents does not work. Instead, he advances a we’re-in-this-together creed born out of his days as a community activist … [Romney] reflects a deep strain in America that eschews the sort of communitarian doctrine espoused by the president."
Romney tries to twist Obama's words of support for government investment in infrastructure and education. W. Post quotes: "It shows how out of touch he is with the character of America. This idea of criticizing and attacking success, of demonizing those in all walks of life who have been successful, is something that is so foreign to us that we can’t understand it.”
But then Romney continued by making the exact same argument. ThinkProgress quotes: "I know that you recognize a lot of people help you in a business. Perhaps the bank, the investors. There is no question your mom and dad, your school teachers. The people who provide roads, the fire, the police. A lot of people help."
Romney Resists Releasing Returns
Romney gets stubborn. NYT: "…with each answer he gives, Mr. Romney seems more determined than ever that voters will not see any of his tax history before 2010."
Dems introduce bill to make presidential candidates release 10 years of tax returns. The Hill: "The measure is not expected to have much success in the GOP-led House, but Durbin told The Hill that he didn’t think a 10-year requirement was 'unreasonable.'"
Romney might not have run if he thought he'd have to release returns. HuffPost: "Mitt Romney has been determined to resist releasing his tax returns at least since his bid for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and has been confident that he will never be forced to do so, several current and former Bain executives tell The Huffington Post. Had he thought otherwise, say the sources based on their longtime understanding of Romney, he never would have gone forward with his run for president."
Romney hasn't actually released all of his 2010 forms. HuffPost: "…people who own foreign bank accounts are required to file a separate document with the IRS that provides additional details on such overseas bank holdings, and Romney has not released that form to the public."
Republicans Used To Like State Waivers For Welfare Reform
Romney backed the state waivers from welfare reform law that he's now attacking. ThinkProgress: "Republicans accused the administration of attempting to 'gut' welfare reform with the waivers, and Romney agreed … But in 2005, Romney’s signature appeared on a letter from the Republican Governor’s Association to congressional leadership. The letter states explicit support for welfare waivers."
GOP senate candidate in WI too. The Hill: "Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) supported waivers under the landmark 1996 welfare reform law when he served as federal Health secretary, documents show. Now a GOP candidate for Senate, Thompson has joined other Republicans in denouncing President Obama for a new waiver policy meant to give states more flexibility under the law."
CFPB Reins In Capital One
CFPB forces Capital One to refund customers victimized by misleading marketing. McClatchy: "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday ordered Capital One Bank to refund about $140 million to 2 million customers, marking the new watchdog agency’s first major enforcement action since it began operating last year. Capital One call center vendors used deceptive marketing to sell consumers 'add-on' products such as credit monitoring and debt protection, bureau director Richard Cordray said."
Proposed CFPB mortgage forms step forward in clarity, but more reform needed, says Jeff Sovern in NYT oped: "Consumers who spend time with them should be able to determine, for example, their monthly payments, whether those payments can increase and by how much, and many other loan terms. But there is reason to fear that consumers will not know their loan terms, even with the forms … consumers who cannot or will not understand mortgage disclosures should be required to hire mortgage counselors."
Foreclosure rates spike for seniors. NYT: "Among people over 75, the foreclosure rate grew more than eightfold from 2007 to 2011, to 3 percent of that group of homeowners … older Americans are losing their homes because of pension cuts, rising medical costs, shrinking stock portfolios and falling property values…"
Republicans Keep Trying To Take Away Health Care
House committee advances bill to defund health reform law. Politico: "The bill would cut $1.3 billion in funding for HHS … Republicans scuttled a Democratic amendment that would have eliminated efforts to defund the ACA. They also voted to shore up exemptions for companies and institutions that claim moral and religious objections to providing certain health services, such as contraception."
ME Gov. LePage pushes deep cuts in Medicaid. NYT: "Mr. LePage, a Republican, says the [Supreme Court health care] ruling gave states leeway to tighten eligibility for Medicaid … Federal officials insist that while the ruling allowed states to opt out of a planned expansion of Medicaid, it left intact all other aspects of the law affecting the program."