by Dave Johnson | Mar 15, 2010 | Blog
China is holding down the value of its currency, which means goods made there cost less everywhere else. This undercuts American companies that make things, so they close factories here and buy from there. This costs us jobs, forces down our wages and savings rate,...
by Terrance Heath | Mar 15, 2010 | Blog
(Or "CPAC: Sideshow and Snake Oil, Pt. 2") The circus sideshow that was CPAC folded its tent and left Washington weeks ago. However, its apparent ringmaster and chief snake oil salesman still sweats, struts, and sobs across the "stage" of conservative media — that...
by Bill Scher | Mar 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to affect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. House Begins Reconciliation...
by Sam Pizzigati | Mar 14, 2010 | Blog
Republicans in Congress have introduced a breathtaking new budget plan that would essentially put America's plutocracy on steroids. The Republican Party, critics like to quip, has become the “party of no.” That tag no longer works. The GOP has now become,...
by Richard Eskow | Mar 13, 2010 | Blog
There's a lot of buzz in health care circles about an editorial in today's Washington Post entitled "If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly." That could be dangerous: the author's conclusions are contradicted, not supported, by the available...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Mar 12, 2010 | Blog
A Center for American Progress report this week chronicles just how obstructionist conservatives in the Senate continue to be as they use the filibuster to block reform efforts in the Senate. Scott Lilly elaborates on a trend that we began chronicling more than two...
by Dave Johnson | Mar 12, 2010 | Blog
Pat Buchanan has a column today on manufacturing, The Disemboweling of America, that hits the nail on the head. In fact, if I fairly excerpt enough of the column and send you over to read it, my work here is done. For today. Buchanan begins by outlining just how much...
by Bill Scher | Mar 12, 2010 | Blog
The Washington Post today published an op-ed by Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen, who defined themselves as "pollsters to the past two Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton" who are heroically telling the current President that the polls say
by Bill Scher | Mar 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
March 18 Still The Goal To Pass Health Care In The House House timeline could lead to March 18 vote. CQ: "Congressional Budget Office scores of the final bill were expected Friday ... According to plans under discussion Thursday, the Budget Committee would act first,...
by Robert Borosage | Mar 12, 2010 | Blog
______________________ With word that Six Senators were expressing opposition to putting direct lending in the budget bill reconciliation -- which only requires sixty votes to pass the Senate -- Rep George Miller, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and...
by Robert Borosage | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog
Senators Webb and Sanders have signed letter urging President Obama to fill empty seats on Federal Reserve Board with nominees who will help balance the Institution. Notably they urge the Pres to find nominees who would break up the big banks, ban usurious interest...
by Sam Pizzigati | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog
The world's super-duper rich, in the new Forbes magazine count, total just over 1,000 — and hold more wealth than half of humanity. The annual billionaire issue of Forbes magazine, published earlier this week, has a bit of everything. You can thumb these pages,...
by Richard Eskow | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog
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 health reform legislation. Great idea - so great, in fact, that we should do even...
by Dave Johnson | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog, Making it in America
There is a great deal of pressure on the Obama administration to declare China as a currency manipulator, and with very good reason: they are manipulating their currency. This manipulation gives goods made in China a huge price advantage over goods made in other...
by Robert Borosage | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog
It is, as Presidente Obama stated, a "no brainer." Cut the $90 billion in subsides that go to banks to make risk free student loans that are GUARANTEED BY THE GOVERNMENT, go to direct lending, and use the money saved to incrase Pell grants and tuition tax credts for...
by Robert Borosage | Mar 11, 2010 | Blog
Senator Sherrod Brown, head of the subcommittee in charge of overseeing the Federal Reserve, has written President Obama urging him to use the THREE vacancies on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to make the Fed more accountable. Letter and Huff Post report...
by Bill Scher | Mar 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
Obama: "The Time For Talk Is Over. It's Time To Vote." Speaker Pelosi today begins "walking her members through" the final health care bill language, reports Politico: "'We’re going to get started,' Pelosi said as she left the Capitol Wednesday night ... The speaker...
by Alex Lawson | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/OASDIbenies.html In December 2008, over 9.3 million people received Social Security disability benefits 9.3 million people with disabilities, their spouses and children 7.4 million disabled workers under the full retirement age 1.9...
by Robert Borosage | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog
Financial reform, as it is called, shouldn't be all that complicated. Break up the banks deemed "too big to fail," since that offends any possibility of market discipline and puts taxpayers on the hook for future bailouts. Crack down on gambling with other peoples'...
by Dave Johnson | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog, Economy
The economy is still getting worse more slowly. We lost "only" 36,000 jobs last month. We need to create 11 million new jobs just to get back to where we were before "free-market" conservatives took over our government and dismanted the protections and regulations...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., introduced a bill today that is a meaningful response to the nation's jobs crisis. It still falls short of the need, but it would accomplish far more than the anemic measures that have been served up by Congress so far. The legislation...
by Bill Scher | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog
Since I had the temerity to mention that the America's wealthiest heirs should pay their fair share on their inheritance windfalls to help reduce the deficit, their front groups have been very busy attacking me. Yesterday I noted some of lies the American Family...
by Bill Scher | Mar 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
Obama Heads To St. Louis As Lobbyists Launch Ad Blitz To Kill Health Care Reform St. Louis awaits "Trumanesque" address from Obama on health care today. St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "When Obama takes the stage at St. Charles High School before about 400 people this...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Mar 10, 2010 | Blog
by Richard Eskow | Mar 9, 2010 | Blog
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 in the Federal Reserve, it looked as if Ben Bernanke had successfully...
by Sara Robinson | Mar 9, 2010 | Blog
So Rush Limbaugh has threatened to move to Costa Rica if health care reform passes. As Brian Docksteader wrote, the irony of this is almost too rich to believe. Given Rush's well-known proclivities, you have to wonder: Why Costa Rica? If he's looking for beaches, palm...
by Bill Scher | Mar 9, 2010 | Blog
Yesterday I had the nerve to mention that the superwealthy opponents of the estate tax are deathly afraid that once the current law brings back the estate tax next year to a 55% tax rate and a $2M inheritance income threshold, Congress won't want to touch it because...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Mar 9, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay appeared to be dancing with the stars in his head Sunday when he said on CNN that "there is an argument to be made" that an extension unemployment benefits, such as the one that conservative Republican Sen. Jim Bunning...
by Bill Scher | Mar 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Obama Warns Of Price Paid By Inaction On Health Care Positive Senate reaction to Obama's first health care rally. LAT: "One Senate Democratic aide said Obama's out-of-town stops are helpful in that they create political space for members to cast a vote in support of...
by Alan Jenkins | Mar 9, 2010 | Blog
President Obama and the First Lady recognized International Women’s Day earlier this week with a moving and sometimes funny ceremony in the East Room. The President said that “the story of America’s women, like the story of America itself, has had its peaks and...
by Richard Eskow | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
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 lie, another con, another ripoff. "School loan socialism" is the new Death Panel....
by Bill Scher | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
One of the conservative goals former President George W. Bush was unable to get through the Senate was "making the tax cuts permanent." He only got them passed -- using Senate budget reconciliation rules -- by employing a budget gimmick to mask the 10-year cost....
by Terrance Heath | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
Conservatives who squawk about the deficit — and Democrats who should know better, but squawk anyway — tend to do so selectively. That is, they tend to focus only on spending. But spending is only half of any deficit equation. After all, a deficit is...
by Dave Johnson | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
We all pay a huge "hidden" tax when we burn oil and coal. Oil companies get the money. This is holding our economy back. Today when we burn oil or coal we put the toxic waste that results straight into the air. This causes damage to all of us, in many ways. First, of...
by Mary Bottari | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
Submitted by Mary Bottari on March 8, 2010 - 09:06 Watching the devolution of the bank reform bill in the U.S. Senate has been painful. Banking Chairman Chris Dodd’s original proposal unveiled last year had numerous strengths, most significantly the removal of bank...
by Bill Scher | Mar 8, 2010 | Blog
There were two ways last month's health care summit could have been a success. Republican leaders actually would support legislation that incorporated some of their ideas. Or, in the far more likely event that the GOP continued it's full-court obstructionist press,...
by Bill Scher | Mar 8, 2010 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to affect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. Obama Hits The Road For Health Care...
by Sam Pizzigati | Mar 7, 2010 | Blog
The White House wants to require firms that do business with the government to pay decent wages. That could work — if we go after all pay that's indecent. Labels can often cloud reality. Take the labels of “private” and “public” sector....
by Dave Johnson | Mar 7, 2010 | Blog
Headline at Drudge Report: Obama policies projected to add $9.7 trillion to debt by 2020... points to this story, National debt to be higher than White House forecast, CBO says, President Obama's proposed budget would add more than $9.7 trillion to the national debt...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Mar 5, 2010 | Blog
As prominent Republicans continue to distance themselves from an internal Republican National Committee fund-raising presentation that emphasized "fear" as a primary motivator of "reactionary" potential donors, it pays to reexamine the evidence t
