After more than a year of closed-door negotiations, the President and other Democrats have finally appropriated a Republican phrase by calling for “an up or down vote” on the resulting […]

Almost everyone knows that to “pull a Kanye” means to steal the limelight when it rightfully belongs elsewhere. With Sen. Dodd’s suggestion that the Consumer Financial Protection Agency be housed […]

Two noted shills for the banking industry – Republican Lamar Alexander and Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal – just trotted out the “socialism” boogeyman, so here we go again: another […]

Nobel Prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz said the Fed was “corrupt,” Elizabeth Warren said she wanted to fight for the CFPA until there were “blood and teeth” on the floor, and Robert […]

Robert Byrd just came out in favor of using reconciliation in health reform. Since reconciliation’s also known as the “Byrd rule,” that’s a definitive a confirmation of its legitimacy as […]

At what point does “bipartisanship” begin to erode the democratic process? Here’s my answer: When it’s used to take decision-making power away from voters and place it in the hands […]

The pheremonic scent of compromise is inducing euphoria in the nation’s capitol once again. Not that there’s anything wrong with compromise, if it results in policies that work. But we’ve […]

Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post waxed lyrical today about the compromise deal on financial regulations proposed Sens. Dodd and Corker, calling it a “creative bipartisan proposal.” It’s certainly “bipartisan,” […]

Before we get to the specifics, here’s what you need to know about the credit card companies: They’re out to shaft you. They’ll shaft you every chance they get. They’ll […]

The White House has just released “The President’s Proposal” on health reform. It must be considered in context, and the context is this: The House and Senate have each passed […]

Since the nation’s capital is enamored of bipartisanship in all its forms, it’s surprising that today’s letter from five former Treasury Secretaries – both Democratic and Republican – isn’t front […]

It’s been a fascinating anthropological exercise to watch the health excise tax concept (the so-called “Cadillac tax”) keep its popularity among Democratic and liberals, even as one study after another […]

Mattel makes a little toy called the “Magic 8-Ball.” It looks like a pool ball with a little window in it. You shake it and a little answer pops up […]

Like an cat burglar, Goldman Sachs leaves its fingerprints in the most unusual places. The news of Goldman’s role in the Greek financial crisis isn’t just a black eye for […]

Never underestimate Sarah Palin. She did a better job articulating anti-banker sentiment at last week’s Tea Party Convention than Obama’s done. Its followers don’t realize it, but the Tea Party […]

It should be, as the President once called it, a “no-brainer”: Overhaul our broken system for distributing federal student loans. Stop giving banks undeserved profits for administering these loans (an […]

Let’s be realistic about our expectations for the State of the Union. We’re unlikely to see a newly-energized President trailing clouds of progressive glory, ascending the podium while the PA […]

What a week. Call it the Shock Doctrine in reverse: The Massachusetts election and yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling may force the Democrats to move to the left to ensure their […]

It hurts to lose a Senate seat but, hey – setbacks happen in politics. What’s really discouraging is the sight of Democrats, from the White House on down, refusing to […]

Labor leaders met with the White House last week to hammer out a deal on the health excise tax.  Depending on the outcome of today’s Senate race in Massachusetts, that […]

The Washington Post has an uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, pushing the wrong policies and making the wrong moves. That’s four wrongs in […]

The AFL-CIO has announced that it is coordinating a “National Call-In Blitz” today.. If you call this toll free number – 1-877-3-AFLCIO (1-877-323-5246) – you can “urge your representative to […]

The New Republic’s Jonathan Chait has penned an ode to the excise tax on health benefits. He says his “faith in the Cadillac tax remains ardent,” even after being led […]

People are saying that the so-called Cadillac tax “might fall flat” and “has real problems.”  And those are its defenders.  I can’t remember any new policy in recent history whose […]

A blogger contact has told me of a new argument in favor of the health excise tax: Since the tax will be imposed on insurers, the Senate’s limit of 15% […]

The theory behind the “Cadillac tax” on health plans is little more than wishful thinking based on dubious research. Advocates believe that forcing employers to cut benefits will lead to […]

The beat goes on: David Leonhardt, the Times economics blogger and tax supporter, had this exchange regarding the Senate’s health excise tax on NPR’s “Marketplace” program: Leonhardt: (It’s) a tax […]

Blogger and video producer Lee Stranahan has produced a video that includes footage of Barack Obama denouncing the so-called ‘Cadillac tax’ during last year’s Presidential campaign. Stranahan, who is an […]

Amid indications from President Obama that he wants the House to adopt the Senate’s health tax, we learn that he will meet with labor to discuss their concerns about the […]

Respected health writer Maggie Mahar (“Money-Driven Medicine”) got curious and decided to fact-check the excise tax. Wisely, she follows the money – which in the world of health care follows […]

In a new piece at The Huffington Post, your humble correspondent begins the New Year in a time-honored fashion: with an act of confession for past sins. The piece is […]

A Washington Post poll taken in mid-October showed that 61% of people surveyed opposed the excise tax, with only 35% supporting it. A USA Today/Gallup poll taken at the same […]

Conventional wisdom has it that print journalism (and its editorial columns) are dead. Tell it to Bob Herbert. His column lambasting the excise tax went viral today on both the […]

The President came close to endorsing the so-called “Cadillac tax” when he was interviewed about health reform on NPR. Here’s what the President said when the subject came up: “I’m […]

Ezra Klein has responded thoughtfully to my criticism of him.  I felt he should have mentioned the numerous studies which challenge the assumptions behind the excise tax, given his strong […]

Nothing brings the readers a-runnin’ like the word “actuary” in a headline – especially at holiday time! Well, maybe not … but this is important: An actuary with the respected […]

The progressive  “journo/blogospere” is sharply split over the Senate health bill.  Some, like Jane Hamsher and

Our new piece on the politics and policy of the Senate’s health reform deal is up at The Huffington Post, and it addresses the excise tax at several points: “if […]