Oregon becomes 16th state to call for amendment overturning Citizens United. Kill Bill. Tom Edsall on politics inside and outside of Washington.
United Republic, a liberal-leaning campaign finance reform organization dedicated to reducing the influence of money in American politics, recently produced a striking graphic that illustrates how corporate America wins huge breaks from Congress at very little cost. According to statistics United Republic assembled, the prescription drug industry spent $116 million lobbying for legislation to prevent Medicare from bargaining down drug prices — legislation that enabled drug companies to make an additional $90 billion annually. That amounts to an extraordinary 77,500 percent return on investment. Oil companies, in turn, had a return on investment of 5,900 percent, and multinational companies, 22,000 percent. Worst Congress money can buy. If you want to see why the public approval rating of Congress is down in the sub-arctic range — an icy 15 percent by last count — all you have to do is take a quick look at how the House and Senate pay worship at the altar of corporations, banks and other special interests at the expense of public aspirations and need.
Traditionally, political scientists have taught their students that there are two schools of thought about how a legislator should get the job done. One is to vote yay or nay on a bill by following the will of his or her constituency, doing what they say they want. Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement. Annabel Park: Replying to my pro-gun friends. Washington’s Revolving Door: As Old as Lincoln. Last week, we talked about the infernal revolving door between government and big business and how one person in particular, Liz Fowler, has spun through it so many times she may need to take something for motion sickness.
Which makes it a good thing that she’s going back to work as a lobbyist for the health care industry, where presumably she can get a prescription filled. Fowler used to be a lobbyist with the health insurer WellPoint. Then she went to Capitol Hill as Senator Max Baucus’ health care reform architect followed by some time at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Obama White House. Here’s A Crazy Graphic To Share With Those Judgmental People Who Go Off About Poor People. Why the GOP Should Fear a Romney Presidency - Jack M. Balkin. At best, he would be hamstrung by the conflicting demands of a radicalized party.
At worst, he would wreck the Reagan coalition. Brian Snyder/Reuters What kind of president would Mitt Romney be? And what should we expect from Barack Obama's second term? We pledge: No More Stolen Elections! Mitt Romney Considering Infamous Ex-Merrill Lynch CEO To Replace Geithner. Mitt Romney is considering appointing a man who oversaw the implosion of a major Wall Street firm and got himself a $35,000 toilet while doing it as Treasury Secretary.
John Thain, the former CEO of Merrill Lynch, is on Romney's short list of possible Treasury Secretary picks, the Wall Street Journal reports. He paid his executives massive bonuses before selling Merrill Lynch to Bank of America during the height of the financial crisis with the help of government bailout money. Gang of 8 plots secret retreat - John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will crisscross the country during the next month offering different visions for how to fix the country’s fiscal mess.
But in Washington, the senators in the Gang of Six — plus two newbies — will have a secret retreat next week hosted by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to start cobbling together a plan to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. Continue Reading. Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball. House 2018: Less Than a Year Out, Race for Control Is a Coin Flip 25 ratings changes, mostly in Democrats’ favor Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor, Sabato's Crystal Ball November 30th, 2017 In the aftermath of the 2014 midterm election, when the party that didn’t hold the White House (the Republicans) gained ground in the House for the 36th time in 39 midterms since the Civil War, I wrote the following in the Center for Politics’ postmortem on the election, The Surge: Practically speaking, though, House Democrats might have to root for the other party in the 2016 presidential race.
2012 Elections, House Projections - Election Projection. Ohio voters face challenges from tea party groups - Page 2. President Obama greets supporters at Bowling Green State University in… (Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty…) CINCINNATI — Lori Monroe, a 40-year-old Democrat who lives in central Ohio, was startled a few weeks ago to open a letter that said a stranger was challenging her right to vote in the presidential election.
Monroe, who was recovering from cancer surgery, called the local election board to protest. A local tea party leader was trying to strike Monroe from the voter rolls for a reason that made no sense: Her apartment building in Lancaster was listed as a commercial property. "I'm like, really? Stop A Couple Of People From Voting Republican This Year. Just Share This Hilariously Eye-Opening Video. If You Loved ‘The West Wing’, Watch This. Now. What We Already Knew About The Tea Party And ‘The Newsroom’ Finally Said Out Loud. Paul Ryan To Fox News: 'I Don't Have The Time' To Explain How We Will Pay For Our Tax Plan. By Adam Peck on September 30, 2012 at 10:39 am "Paul Ryan To Fox News: ‘I Don’t Have The Time’ To Explain How We Will Pay For Our Tax Plan" For much of the general election, the Romney campaign has avoided any discussion of specifics, especially when it comes to the tax plan that he and Paul Ryan have put forward.
On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace gave Ryan an opportunity to finally talk about the details of his plan to a national audience, how much it will cost and how the Romney administration would pay for it. A Canadian’s View On Our Disrespect Of President Obama’s Presidency. My mother just sent me this Canadian article in an email and after reading it I felt compelled to find the source.
Give it a read. It is enlightening in how some outside of our country see our politics our President Obama disrespect. US health care: It's officially a mess, institute says. By Maggie Fox, Senior Writer, NBC News If banking were like health care, it would take days to get money out of an ATM because the records would be lost. If airlines were like health care, pilots would decide on their own which safety checks to make, if any. If shopping were like health care -- well, you get the picture. Slide Show: The Fifty Most Influential Progressives of the Twentieth Century. Virginia Republicans Call for Armed Revolution if Obama Wins in November. By: Rmuse August 20th, 2012 see more posts by Rmuse The author of the Declaration of Independence is often quoted by opposing groups to support their own agenda, but there are few who accurately apply some of his oft-repeated statements.
During the healthcare reform debate, angry teabaggers cited Jefferson’s line that “ ,” as proof that revolution against government tyranny was advocated by a Founding Father as an option in 2009, and that sentiment has not diminished three years later heading into a general election. The groups claiming President Obama is a tyrannical leader have never given one example of tyranny, but they, with the GOP’s assistance, have whipped themselves into frenzy and openly called for armed insurrection against the United States government. Introducing SignOn.org: Your Petition + MoveOn’s 7 Million Members = Brilliant. Connecting the Dots, What Matters Today. VAWA and the Republican hard turn to the right. (Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images) The most important thing to remember as Republicans pose as victims of Democrats igniting a culture war over women's rights is this: Republicans are not required to take the bait.
Wonkbook: Why the Republican budgets make the poor pay. Michele Bachmann's Holy War. IRS May Make Political Groups Pay Dearly for Keeping Donors Secret. Key Abortion Restrictions in the States. By Igor Volsky on March 6, 2012 at 11:24 am. Utah Senate passes bill banning contraception education. By David EdwardsWednesday, March 7, 2012 14:21 EDT The Utah Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would effectively ban comprehensive education about human sexuality, forcing schools to teach abstinence or nothing at all.
Thom Hartmann: Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican. Rush Limbaugh and three evangelical blind spots. Murkowski: GOP Has Spun Out Of Control On Contraception. Albert Mohler Weighs-in on Limbaugh Apology. Conservatives get support from the darndest places. Santorum and the Sexual Revolution. SC County GOP: If You’ve Had Pre-Marital Sex, You Can’t Be A Republican. Cato Institute and Koch in Rift Over Independence. The Billionaire Koch Brothers’ War Against Obama. How Conservatives Silence Critics of Religion. Agenda for the Dark Ages: GOP Frontrunner Rick Santorum's 5 Most Extremist Themes.
List of Rush Limbaugh Show Sponsors: BOYCOTT NOW! Coffee Party News. Moyers & Company. Flackcheck.org. A Project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The Scariest Gay Marriage Chart Ever. O, how the mighty have swollen! - Roger Simon. Center for American Progress. The insider's choice for election analysis.
David Catanese Blog: Essential intelligence from the campaign trail. (37) Washington Post Social Reader on Facebook. Did Clint Eastwood Really Just Say This About Gay Marriage?