Hold Fast (Free subscription) | 3 hours ago
Steve Benen, writing on the Republican strategy to slow health care reform legislation through amendments, notes: Ordinarily, amendments are proposed to improve the bill. It’s what makes the Republican amendments pointless — even if their measures pass, they’ll still oppose reform. But the GOP caucus is nevertheless lining up hundreds of possible proposals. They’re...
Zandar Versus The Stupid (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
Steve Benen notes the latest Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll has good and bad news for the Dems : The latest Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos included the usual question on the generic congressional ballot, with Dems still enjoying a modest edge over Republicans, 37% to 32%, with 31% unsure. Democratic numbers were strongest in the Northeast (53% Dems, 7% GOP), and Republican numbers were...
Later On (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
From his post: … Over the weekend, Josh Marshall noted in passing that the congressional GOP lied quite a bit during the 1994 reform debate, but Republicans are now "upping their game … lying even more shamelessly than in round 1." I’m reminded of Ruth Marcus’ reaction to the House debate a few weeks ago, when she [...]
Limbo (Free subscription) | yesterday
... wants and the persuasive power, it seems, to get it. READ MORE: “ Ten Months In ,” by Steve Benen ( The Washington Monthly ).
Crooks and Liars (Free subscription) | yesterday
Via Steve Benen, some pretty interesting news that probably will not shock you. So we're not the only ones feeling less than enthusiastic about Democratic performance, huh: The latest Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos included the usual question on the generic congressional ballot, with Dems still enjoying a modest edge over Republicans, 37% to 32%, with 31% unsure. Democratic numbers...
Raw Story (Free subscription) | 3 hours ago
... President Obama's favorability rating sits at 53 percent, according to the poll. But blogger Steve Benen pulled out the key figures from the question, ""In the 2010 Congressional elections will you definitely vote, probably vote, not likely vote, or definitely will not vote?" Among self-identified Republican voters, 81% are either "definitely" voting next year or "probably" voting,...
Progressive Blue - Front Page (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
... now. Is a trigger attached to a strong public option better than the public option we have now? Steve Benen : If Snowe and Nelson are thinking about triggering in state-based co-ops in 2018, then this is a rather pointless endeavor. But if there's a possibility that trigger advocates are serious about crafting a meaningful policy -- by no means a given -- there's an avenue that reform...
Balloon Juice (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
I don’t want to tar all teabaggers with this brush, but I think it’s fair to say that Malkin and her ilk are partly responsible for this kind of behavior (via Steve Benen): A group called the Chicago Tea Party Patriots publicly heckled a grieving family and suggested that the couple fabricated their tragic story. At [...]
They gave us a republic (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
... it points to very, very rough seas in 2010. Um, no. Anybody else want to give it a try? Yes, Steve Benen: It's obviously not too late, and a great deal can happen over the next 10 or so months. What's more, the solution isn't exactly a mystery -- if Dems do what they were elected to do, they'll be pleased with the results. I keep thinking about something Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.)...
Bark Bark Woof Woof (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
... went into two wars and added prescription benefits to Medicare without paying for any of them. As Steve Benen points out, we are now adding to the deficit because of the damage left behind. The stimulus was necessary because Rove's old boss left the president an economy on the verge of wholesale collapse. S-CHIP expansion was necessary because Rove's old boss rejected a bipartisan...
The ITT List (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
... accept his Nobel Piece Prize. The climate talks, on the other hand, span Dec. 7 to Dec. 18. Still, Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly writes that "Obama's in-person lobbying efforts will give the…
Later On (Free subscription) | 11/25/2009
Steve Benen at Political Animal: Trevor Francis, the communications director at the Republican National Committee, was forced out yesterday. A couple of hours later, the party announced that Alex Castellanos, a notorious Republican media consultant and CNN contributor, will take over as a senior communications adviser to RNC Chairman Michael Steele. The news prompted Atrios to note, [...]...
Gerry Canavan (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
... (Both links via Neil.) * Is the public option now too watered-down to fight for? Matt Yglesias and Steve Benen join Josh Marshall in thinking this over. I feel exactly how I did on Monday : the point is to pass anything so it can be improved without a filibuster. * North Carolina in the news! Kay Hagan is the Senate’s 17th wealthiest senator ( via ), while Blue Cross/Blue Shield of...
Balloon Juice (Free subscription) | 11/25/2009
You probably heard about this (via Steve Benen for example): But Perino’s appearance last night with Sean Hannity was more noteworthy than most. The topic was the shootings at Fort Hood, and Perino, playing her usual role, criticized the White House for not having labeled the massacre as “terrorism.” She emphasized that the rhetorical description of [...]
The Huffington Post (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
... accept his Nobel Peace Prize. The climate talks, on the other hand, span Dec. 7 to Dec. 18. Still, Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly writes that "Obama's in-person lobbying efforts will give the talks a boost, and signal to the world that the United States intends to lead." Obama also announced plans to send a large delegation to Copenhagen, including his "Green Cabinet," notes...
