Category: Congress
Will President Obama Betray Senate Democrats in State of the Union Speech?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has ruled out Social Security cuts in any plan to replace the sequester. In the State of the Union address, President Obama can either stand with Harry Reid and Senate Democrats–or betray them.
Racism on Display: Washington, D.C.’s Status in Congress
As our nation promotes representative democracy around the world, it is time to finally bring it to those who don’t have it here in the United States — the citizens of Washington, D.C.
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Obama and lawmakers are talking, but they aren’t close to a ‘fiscal cliff’ deal
Listen closely and you can hear the sounds of a “fiscal cliff” deal NOT coming together. The first week of the lame-duck Congress brought multiple pledges of bipartisan cooperation from President Obama and congressional Republican and Democratic leaders. But there has been very little – if any – movement in the two sides’ positions, which, in fact, may be hardening prior to the serious negotiating sessions expected to begin after Thanksgiving.
The Reagan-O’Neill Myth of Bipartisan Social Security Reform
As far as 80s trends go, the resurgent popularity of Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill rivals that of skinny jeans and Members Only jackets. But were Reagan and O’Neill really as chummy as some people would have us believe?
Foreground: President Ronald Reagan (seated) shares a laugh with House Speaker Tip O'Neill at the signing of the Social Security Reform Act of 1983. Alan Greespan and Sen. Bob Dole (R, KS) are among those pictured behind them.Source: Newsday.
This post is based on an analysis I provided on the November 17 episode of Take Action News with David Shuster in the last 5 minutes of Hour 3. Podcast available here. Continue Reading
Lame-duck Congress aims for compromise with Sportsmen’s Act
TakeActionNews.com, in collaboration with Popvox.com, will offer quick and easy links so you can track and weigh in on all the action in the most important lame-duck session of Congress in a generation.
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Get ready for the lame-duck session of Congress
The 112th Congress will reconvene Nov. 13th
The 112th Congress reconvenes Nov. 13 with nothing less than the fate of the U.S. economy on the line.
In play in November and December: the expiring Bush tax cuts, an expanding alternative minimum tax poised to capture more and more middle class taxpayers, the expiring payroll tax cut that has been a boon to middle class households during the recession, cuts in physician reimbursements under Medicare, and the looming budget “sequestration,” which will automatically cut just under $50 billion in federal spending beginning in January and $500 billion over 10 years.
Latest polls: two more years of divided, if not dysfunctional, government
Polls suggest president will face a dysfunctional Congress
The latest polls heading into the weekend before Election Day suggest whoever is elected president will face the same dysfunctional Congress that President Obama has faced the last two years. That, in turn, increases the pressure on engaged citizens to push their representatives to take action in the areas most important to them.
The Times’ list of races to watch
Check out the Times’ House races to watch here.
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The elections won’t create a new middle ground on health care
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan say President Obama has proposed a $700-billion-plus cut to Medicare, to which Obama’s supporters reply: But those same cuts are in the Paul Ryan budget!
A top Republican investigator loses to Tea Party challenger
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