In the last few days, several bloggers – among them Jon Cohn and Ezra Klein — have written faulty defenses of the health care bill. They used theoretical, counterfactual alternatives in defense of the health care legislation they’ve supported, calling to mind Voltaire’s classic, Candide. In it, Voltaire heavily mocks the extreme optimism of Pangloss, [...]

I’m really looking forward to looking at how well the polls predicted the impact of the health care bill in these districts after the election, and compare SurveyUSA’s methodology with the outcome in each. I hope those who willingly did the hatchet work of the DCCC will do likewise.

The most disturbing moment of Jon Stewart’s interview with President Obama was when Obama claimed the soon-to-exit director of the National Economic Council, Larry Summers, had done a “Heckuva Job.” It was a statement both profoundly wrong and politically stupid. On so many levels, it was an awful thing to say just days before the [...]

I was on Dylan Ratigan show discussing Barack Obama’s appearance on the Daily Show. There were some claims made about the impact of the health care bill that are, at best, obfuscations: What Obama said What the health care bill actually does “You’ve got 30 million people who are going to get health insurance as [...]

The fact that Jarret could use a term that is like fingernails on a chalkboard to LGBT people, and still be out there as White House spokesperson on the issue of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, is symptomatic of something deeply wrong. She should have stepped down, because her continued presence in the media on this issue is like pouring gasoline on the fire. They should have replaced her with someone else immediately. It’s a sign of incredibly callousness and insensitivity on the part of the administration that she continues to be their spokesperson on this issue.

During the 2009 push for health care reform, in scenes that conspiracy theorists usually have to imagine, the hospital industry sat down with White House officials and agreed to support the administration’s effort in exchange for Obama promising to protect their profits, which included a commitment to kill the public option. Yet, like any good [...]

Jobs creation is the top concern for Americans right now, and it is near criminal that we don’t have more members on the board of the Federal Reserve who are committed to fulfilling their mandate to increase employment. Ending the waste would be a massive step towards reduce our deficit. Drug re-importation, ending DADT and medical marijuana are supported by overwhelming majorities of Americans. The list above is not only smart policy, but also represent smart political moves that Obama is fully capable of taking.

Jarrett has had oversight of LGBT issues within the White House for two years. Her lack of awareness of the dynamics within the LGBT community is something the HRC bears direct responsibility for. If the HRC, as chosen messengers, see themselves as Democratic Party advocates within the LGBT community rather than LGTB advocates to the administration, what other recourse do activists have to get the President’s attention, other than chain themselves to the White House and heckle him at public events?

What can Obama do now, without the need of 60 votes in the Senate, to address our current problems?

I’ve been asking people what Obama could do now, without needing the approval of Congress, to address many of the serious problems facing the country.

Glenn Greenwald: