by Robert Borosage | Jun 18, 2007 | Blog
These are opening remarks at the fifth annual Take Back America Conference in Washington, a meeting of 3,000 leaders and activists from across the country and across the tribes of the progressive movement. Five years ago, when we started this venture, Washington was...
by Bill Scher | Jun 18, 2007 | Blog
Better than usual performance from our Sunday shows this week. (Perhaps I set the bar too low this time.) Face The Nation's Bob Schieffer asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell point blank, "what did you mean" when he said there would be a "new direction" in...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 17, 2007 | Blog, Rick Perlstein
Isaiah J. Poole is the executive editor of TomPaine.com. We’ve made some changes to TomPaine.com that will make it faster-paced, more interactive and more compelling. You will notice that we have elevated our editor’s blog to be the centerpiece of our...
by Bill Scher | Jun 15, 2007 | Blog
Every Friday in our Weekend Watchdog feature, we post suggested questions for scheduled Sunday guests. You can add your own questions in the comment thread. We'll also include contact information for the shows, so we can let them know what their viewers want asked....
by Bill Scher | Jun 15, 2007 | Blog
Excitement is at a fever pitch as the Take Back America conference is a mere three days away. To sate your appetite until then, over at the TBA blog, we have more TBA Interviews with some of the engaging figures set to address the conference: Drum Major Institute...
by Bill Scher | Jun 15, 2007 | Blog
According to the New York Times, renewable energy backers are just one vote short of the 60 needed to break any filibuster.
by Bill Scher | Jun 15, 2007 | Blog
A majority of the Senate supports adding a provision to the Senate energy bill now under consideration that would require that 15 percent of our nation's electricity come from renewable energy sources by 2020 -- an increase from the current 2.4 percent, and...
by Bill Scher | Jun 14, 2007 | Blog
The following, a more fleshed-out version of my earlier energy bill post, was originally published at The Huffington Post A majority of the Senate supports adding a provision to the Senate energy bill now under consideration, requiring that 15% of our nation's...
by Bill Scher | Jun 14, 2007 | Blog
The 56 votes killing a phony "clean" electricity amendment proved to be ominous. As support for the actual clean electricity amendment is short of 60 votes, according to CQ Today(subscription req'd) conservatives are threatening a filibuster. In turn, the amendment's...
by Bill Scher | Jun 14, 2007 | Blog
Good news on the Senate floor today. Sen. Pete Domenici's attempt to count coal and nuclear towards clean energy standards for electricity was beaten back in the Senate just minutes ago, with 56 senators voting to kill the amendment, and only 39 supporting. Still...
by Bill Scher | Jun 14, 2007 | Blog
This morning, the Senate is continuing to debate on the floor renewable energy standards for electricity, but according to Environment & Energy Daily (subscription required), much maneuvering is happening off the floor about liquid coal. E&ED reports that: Development...
by Robert Borosage | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog
Wall Street’s investment banks just got another one step closer to making defrauding investors an accepted line of business. And Enron’s employees who lost their pensions and the small investors who got fleeced in the Enron frauds just got shafted again – this time at...
by Bill Scher | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog
Right now on the Senate floor, senators are debating dueling amendments from Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., on a possible "portfolio standard," which the Apollo Alliance describes as "setting the minimum amount of renewable energy that...
by Bill Scher | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog
Both the New York Times and Washington Post report today that there is a move to include in the Senate energy bill $10 billion of federal loans for liquid coal fuel, raising concerns that the bill will set us back in the fight against global warming. The Post...
by Bill Scher | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog
The Senate energy bill floor debate got off to a good start, as an Apollo Alliance-backed amendment sailed through on a voice vote, authorizing resources to train workers for high-skill, clean energy jobs. This was a major theme of the recent Apollo Summit. While...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog
There is more ammunition progressive leaders can use to push for a bold policy agenda in a new report by the Campaign for America's Future and Media Matters for America. That report says what we know instinctively but too many in Congress and in the political...
by Bill Scher | Jun 12, 2007 | Blog
Over at the Take Back America blog, we talk to Program Coordinator for the Media Consortium Tracy Van Slyke, who will addressing the conference about media reform. Click here to read that interview, and others in the TBA Interview series. Online registration for Take...
by Bill Scher | Jun 12, 2007 | Blog, Economy
The Senate energy bill floor debate got off to a good start, as an Apollo Alliance-backed amendment sailed through on a voice vote, authorizing resources to train workers for high-skill, clean energy jobs. This was a major theme of the recent Apollo Summit. While...
by Bill Scher | Jun 12, 2007 | Blog
With the immigration compromise failing last week, the Senate floor has turned to energy, and senators are expected to take at least two weeks to debate and possibly amend the multi-faceted bill. Congress isn't ready to tackle the most critical piece of any...
by Bill Scher | Jun 12, 2007 | Blog
Big Take Back America news: Politico.com will be administering one of the first presidential straw polls at the conference. Find out more at the Take Back America blog.
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
Over at the Take Back America blog, the next installment of The TBA Interview is with Medicare Rights Center founder Diane Archer, as she talks about her Take Back America session, "Health Care For All." Check it out. Take Back America, just one week...
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
It was another 0-for-3 week on the Sunday shows, as the hosts failed to ask any of the Watchdog's questions about the war in Iraq and President Bush's greenwashing at the G-8 summit. Here's what we wanted to know: • For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. (ABC's This...
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
It was another 0-for-3 week on the Sunday shows, as the hosts failed to ask any of the Watchdog's questions about the war in Iraq and President Bush's greenwashing at the G-8 summit. Here's what we wanted to know: • For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. (ABC's This...
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
It was another 0-for-3 week on the Sunday shows, as the hosts failed to ask any of the Watchdog's questions about the war in Iraq and President Bush's greenwashing at the G-8 summit. Here's what we wanted to know: • For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. (ABC's This...
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
It was another 0-for-3 week on the Sunday shows, as the hosts failed to ask any of the Watchdog's questions about the war in Iraq and President Bush's greenwashing at the G-8 summit. Here's what we wanted to know: • For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. (ABC's This...
by Bill Scher | Jun 11, 2007 | Blog
Another 0-for-3 week for the Sunday shows, as they failed to ask any of the Watchdog's questions. ABC's George Stephanopoulos did not force Sen. John McCain to respond to citizen questioner from last week's presidential debate, who lost her brother in Iraq and told...
by Bill Scher | Jun 8, 2007 | Blog
Every Friday in our Weekend Watchdog feature, we post suggested questions for scheduled Sunday guests. You can add your own questions in the comment thread. We'll also include contact information for the shows, so we can let them know what their viewers want asked....
by Bill Scher | Jun 8, 2007 | Blog
Last month, I summed up the first few months of the new Congress in the post, "The Failure of Compromise", which noted: Time and time again, Democratic leaders have sought to accommodate the conservative Republican minority and craft compromise legislation. And in...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
Last month, I summed up the first few months of the new Congress in the post, "The Failure of Compromise", which noted: Time and time again, Democratic leaders have sought to accommodate the conservative Republican minority and craft compromise legislation. And in...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
Via Feministing, a House appropriations subcommittee went ahead and increased funds for abstinence-only education programs. Click here for my earlier post on this issue.
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
In the run-up to Take Back America 2007 (just 11 days away!), over at the Take Back America blog, we're going to be interviewing some of the great speakers on tap and getting a taste of what's to come. First up, the tireless political journalist David Sirota. Click...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
From the New York Times: On climate change, the White House has said it would hold firm against concrete long-term targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a major priority for Mrs. Merkel. After lunch with Mr. Bush on Wednesday, Mrs. Merkel seemed to concede —...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
Last month, CQ Today reported that House leaders were planning to let expire funds for abstinence-only education, a proven failure at getting teens to abstain from sex. But last night, CQ reported that a House appropriations subcommittee is planning on increasing...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2007 | Blog
House leaders had been planning to let expire funds for abstinence-only education, a proven failure at getting teens to abstain from sex, CQ Today reported last month. But last night, CQ reported that a House appropriations subcommittee is planning on increasing funds...
by Bill Scher | Jun 6, 2007 | Blog
Yesterday, TomPaine.com's Alec Dubro called attention to a draft bill from coal-friendly Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. -- with tacit support from auto industry pal Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. -- which would have prevented states from having strong greenhouse gas emission...
by Bill Scher | Jun 5, 2007 | Blog
Head on over to the Take Back America 2007 blog, to find out how you can host your own "Self-Organized Session" and be part of the official Take Back America agenda.
by Bill Scher | Jun 5, 2007 | Blog
Conservatives like to use China as an excuse not to do anything serious on global warming. Why impose a cap on greenhouse gas emissions if China won't? The counter-argument is that only if we take the lead will China and other developing economies follow. Al Gore made...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 4, 2007 | Blog
Jacob S. Hacker, the Yale University professor who has crafted a health-care-for-all plan that he has discussed with several Democratic presidential candidates, has taken a close look at the health care proposal released last week by Sen. Barack Obama and concludes...
by Bill Scher | Jun 4, 2007 | Blog
The Watchdog had a better than usual day with the Sunday shows this week. Face The Nation's Bob Schieffer kicked off his interview with the anti-immigrant Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. I wanted Schieffer to ask: You criticize the Senate immigration deal as an "amnesty...
by Bill Scher | Jun 4, 2007 | Blog
The Watchdog had a better than usual day with the Sunday shows this week. Face The Nation's Bob Schieffer kicked off his interview with the anti-immigrant Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. I wanted Schieffer to ask: You criticize the Senate immigration deal as an "amnesty...
