Archive
Defunding The Real Criminal Enterprises
A few weeks ago I wrote about the brazen hypocrisy with which conservatives in Congress met the revelation that a handful of ACORN employees gave stupid advice to two conservative operatives attempting to provoke them into saying just such stupid things. While...
Let's Try This Again: Are There GOP Senators Who Will Back The Climate Bill?
In July I speculated that Sen. Lamar Alexander might lead some Republicans to back a climate protection bill if Democratic leaders made some concessions regarding nuclear power. The prospect was tantalizing, as I noted then: "The Democratic caucus is not solid enough...
Progressive Breakfast - 10/7/2009
The jockeying continues among members of the Senate Finance Committee to get enough votes to pass a health care reform bill. The Hill reports that committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus is optimistic that an assessment of the cost of the bill by the Congressional Budget...
No Matter What Snowe Does, Health Care Reform Will Have Bipartisan Support
At today's White House briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs cited new support from prominent Republicans outside of Washington, and said of those inside Washington, "They are wildly out of step with their co
Progressive Breakfast - 10/6/2009
The daily Progressive Breakfast serves up what progressive movement members need to know to start their day. Renewed Push To Save Jobs Bloomberg reports WH wants more investment in jobs: "President Barack Obama is considering a mix of spending programs and tax cuts to...
Is It Better For The Public Option For Reid To Leave It Out?
Over at The Wonk Room, Igor Volsky, after recalling how conservatives successfully killed health care reform on the Senate floor in 1994, makes the counter-intuitive argument that the public option stands of better chance of passing if Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid...
We Need A Jobs Program And Leadership That Will DO It This Time
Friday’s jobs report said 263,000 jobs were lost in September. BUT that is after 571,000 people gave up actively looking for work. The number of jobs lost last month was 263,000 plus 571,000 = 834,000. The "stimulus plan" is currently creating (and/or saving) between...
Calling Out The Private Equity Vultures
For a stunning look at the heart of the dysfunction of our Wall Street-centric economy, consider today's article in The New York Times on the impending Chapter 11 bankruptcy of the Simmons mattress company. Simmons, as the article explains, is not bankrupt because it...
Progressive Breakfast - 10/5/2009
The daily Progressive Breakfast serves up what progressive movement members need to know to start the day. Uncertainty Precedes Senate Finance Cmte Vote Dem holdouts on Senate Finance make final vote uncertain. W. Post: "...Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John D....
The 2009 Forbes 400: The What-Me-Worry Gang
An average American family would have to work thousands of years to amass a billion-dollar fortune. America's super rich, the new data on our richest 400 make clear, can lose a billion and barely notice. Tsunamis, we learned this past week, amount to equal-opportunity...
