This is an excellent point about leverage: Freshman Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who has long been critical of the surtax on the wealthy, which he worries could hit small businesses, spoke up in favor of the tax on insurance. His comments about union opposition to the tax struck some on the call as surprising. Big [...]

House Democrats huddled today to discuss the issues in the health care reform debate. There are still many problems that need to be sorted out before the bill can be passed. Blanche Lincoln’s falling poll numbers make me wonder why Democratic leaders did not use reconciliation to help her avoid taking a tough vote. The excise [...]

Steve Forbes has just endorsed Rand Paul for Senate. Rand Paul is the son of famous libertarian icon and former presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R TX-14). The Kentucky Senate race is shaping up to be the most interesting of 2010. This may not be the closest or most important race, but it could definitely become [...]

We continue to get great reports from FDL activists manning the phones over at the War Room. Today we have two confirmed votes; while the votes aren’t surprising on their own, the feedback from the callers is very helpful. See what FDL Activists are hearing from Congress.

I find it very interesting that of the dozens of different industry giveaways, pieces of pork, and lobbyist carve-outs found in the health care bill, Ben Nelson’s extra Medicaid money for his state has gotten the bulk of the fire from Republicans. Interesting it is the not allowing insurance companies to keep their anti-trust exemption, [...]

It really should not come as news to anyone who has followed the health care debate closely, but President Barack Obama now officially fighting for the inclusion of the excise tax on employer-provided health care benefits in the final bill. Obama expressly campaigned against taxing health care benefits, and even mocked the idea of taxing [...]

The policy arguments aside, I have a tough time understanding politically why the Democrats did not use reconciliation to pass a big bill labeled “health care reform” (with many of the smaller dropped pieces bundled into a small “insurance regulatory reform” bill, or slipped piece-by-piece into big defense, ag, or appropriations bills). By September, it [...]

Here, let me translate for you: “Every single person we elected is determined to vote for the biggest setback to abortion rights in my lifetime, and I don’t want to be here and eat shit for it from big donors when it happens.”

Our country’s Congress–especially the Senate–is incredibly broken. The disproportionate power of the minority in the Senate, the amount of money it takes to run for office, the overwhelming power of lobbyists, and just good, old-fashioned corruption have been slowly ruining our country. Good policy reform in this country has been made impossible because of how [...]

Next Monday, I will be debating Nate Silver about health care. The health care bill will now officially be ping ponged. Ben Nelson’s Medicaid deal maybe a goner due to intense pushback. The Senate bill would allow for multiple, regional exchanges within an single state. This only seems like a bad idea that could hurt [...]