Several months ago when Republicans first made it clear they were planning to hold the debt ceiling hostage many wanted President Obama to issue a veto threat. Obama could have done this while still maintaining the deficit hawk image he so desperately craves with a statement like: I would happy work on a bipartisan basis [...]

Steve Israel, Chair of the DCCC: Contribute $3 or more right now to our Emergency Rapid Response Fund to help us send a $100,000 message to Speaker Boehner: We will defeat Republicans who try to slash Social Security and Medicare while protecting tax breaks for multi-millionaires….Republicans’ loyalty to Big Oil, Grover Norquist, and the Tea [...]

It seems President Obama as expected grabbed hold of the Joe Lieberman’s trial balloon and is now also pushing to raise the Medicare retirement age to 67. From Huffington Post: According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations — including both Republicans and Democrats — the president offered an increase in the eligibility age [...]

We frequently hear that tax increases are a “sacred cow” for the modern Republican party. If only the Republicans would allow tax increases in a debt ceiling deal, we’re told, they could get a compromise for other things they want in return. The reality, though, is that tax increases aren’t just a sacred cow to [...]

According to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner our Democratic President wants a deficit package containing the most cuts possible. From CBS News: “What the president wants to do, and he’s bringing the leadership to the White House this evening, to keep at it, he wants to do the largest possible deal that’s going to do the [...]

The only way cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits can become law as part of a debt ceiling deal is if a significant number of Congressional Democrats vote for those cuts. A bloc of Congressional Democrats can stop these cuts if they simply vote against them, using the leverage they have. Republicans control the [...]

Today. with the take off of Atlantis, the final Space Shuttle mission was successfully launched. This is an end of an era. The United States will no longer have its owe way to put Americans astronauts in space. It is also sadly another sign of American’s waning support for space explorations, science and dreaming big. [...]

The Republican’s have been so successful in their hostage taking tactics not because the GOP are amazing negotiators but due to the fact Obama wants them to have a hostages. The Obama administration is told the Republicans they are negotiating with that they don’t believe the 14th amendment grants it the authority to ignore the [...]

President Obama is now suggesting that Medicare and Social Security benefit cuts be a part of a deal to address the federal deficit. This is exactly the opposite of what the American people what. It is no wonder that the American people are so unhappy with the current job performance our “elected representatives.” They are simply not representing us.

The bill, AB 52, which would give California regulators the power to control and deny unreasonable private health insurance premium increases late yesterday clear a critical Senate Committee vote. The Senate Health Committee approved the measure in a 5-3 vote. The bill, AB52, now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.