Politics
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.
Worst Congress money can buy
Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement
Working out of an nondescript brick rowhouse in suburban Virginia , a little-known organization named Donors Trust , staffed by five employees , has steered hundreds of millions of dollars to the most influential think tanks, foundations, and advocacy groups in the conservative movement.
Annabel Park: Replying to my pro-gun friends
Dear friends who can't tolerate anyone bringing up gun control : You're not going to intimidate me with your !!!!s, ????s, WORDS IN ALL CAPS, namecalling, and threats to unfriend.
Washington’s Revolving Door: As Old as Lincoln | On Democracy
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. Now she’s headed back to the private sector, going to bat for the medical giant Johnson & Johnson where no doubt her deep insider knowledge of Washington will be worth every dollar.
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? To answer these questions, I'll draw on the work of Yale political scientist Stephen Skowronek , who has argued that presidents' fortunes depend on how they establish their political legitimacy in the particular circumstances under which which they assume power.
Why the GOP Should Fear a Romney Presidency - Jack M. Balkin
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 ReadingLarry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball
Pondering Pennsylvania’s Proportional Plan Geoffrey Skelley , Political Analyst March 28th, 2013 Perhaps Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R) should be nicknamed the “The Electoral College Count von Count ” for his different ways of trying to count electoral votes.
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.
Ohio voters face challenges from tea party groups - Page 2
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. Instead, Ryan said he didn’t have time to get into the nuts and bolts of the proposal: WALLACE: So how much would it cost? RYAN: It’s revenue neutral… WALLACE: No no, I’m just talking about cuts.
Paul Ryan To Fox News: 'I Don't Have The Time' To Explain How We Will Pay For Our Tax Plan
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. It really gave me pause because his sentiments are mine exactly. I have heard so many articulate this special hate for our president but he said it best. He noted most importantly that we use to rally around the President after elected irrespective of party.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. It’s a mess, the Institute of Medicine says in a report released on Thursday. The U.S. health care system wasted $750 billion in 2009, about 30 percent of all health spending, on unnecessary services, excessive administrative costs, fraud, and other problems.
US health care: It's officially a mess, institute says
Paul Robeson (1898–1976) (21 of 51) Robeson was perhaps the most all-around talented American of the twentieth century. He was an internationally renowned concert singer, actor, college football star and professional athlete, writer, linguist (he sang in twenty-five languages), scholar, orator, lawyer and activist in the civil rights, union and peace movements. Though he was one of the century’s most famous figures, his name was virtually erased from memory by government persecution during the McCarthy era. The son of a runaway slave, Robeson won a four-year academic scholarship to Rutgers, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated as valedictorian. Despite violence and racism from teammates, he won fifteen varsity letters in sports (baseball, football, basketball and track) and was twice named to the All-American Football Team.