Over at Politico Byron Tau and Ben Smith are raising the red flag about the possibility of Republicans using the expiration of the 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax on September 30th as their new hostage in the next stage of disaster legislating. The anti-tax Republicans are already making noises about not extending this tax. [...]

One of the many absurd aspects about this whole debt ceiling deal is that part of the solution to this artificial crisis is to create another artificial crisis in the near future. The debt ceiling itself is a creation of Congress. There is no need to have periodic debt ceiling limit votes that create dangerous [...]

Update II: At the end of the 15 minute procedural vote, Republicans are 144 Yea-0 Nay, Democrats are 4 Yea-82 Nay. Gregg Sargent indicated Democratic leadership weren’t whipping, so it appears that they are forcing the Republicans to pass this. Democratic Yeas are hanging back until the Republicans put this over the top.  Total: 157 [...]

The official Congressional Budget Office report on the debt ceiling deal has been release. From the CBO Summary: Establish caps on discretionary spending through 2021; Allow for certain amounts of additional spending for “program integrity” initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of improper benefit payments; Make changes to the Pell Grant and student loan programs; [...]

The vote is tonight and they’re “studying” it. Studying it until when? Until it’s too late?

If Congress splits town after they pass this bill, maybe we can all celebrate by reviving the “burn your AARP card” party.  We’re certainly going to keep it alive, so that when the cuts start coming or seniors don’t get their cost-of-living increases, they’ll know who to blame.

Whip the Super Congress Call your member of Congress and ask if they will vote for a Super Congress to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits   » Call your member of Congress now. Update II: Even Dennis Kucinich won’t say he’s voting against the bill. Update: Rules Committee just voted that it will be [...]

Any proposal put forward by the Super Congress created by the debt ceiling deal can’t be amended and must receive an up-or-down vote in both chambers of the Congress. This means whatever package this small group of members comes up with can’t be filibustered. If there was every any doubt that the main reason the [...]

Whip the Super Congress Call your member of Congress and ask if they will vote for a Super Congress to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits   » Call your member of Congress now. UPDATE: Paul Krugman says to vote “no.”  You can  tell that to your member of Congress when you call. Steny Hoyer [...]

This recent debt ceiling deal proves the best way for the Republican Party to get what they want from the Democrats and President Obama is to take metaphorical hostages. At this point for the GOP to try negotiating for new laws through the traditional legislative process would be beyond stupid given how effective the tactic [...]

Live on CSPAN2 now Liveblog: 11:00 Recess. 10:58 Durbin gives a fake quorum call.  Because the last thing we need is a public Senate discussion about handing their powers over to Super Congress! 10:56 Durbin starts with the “people on the right and on the left” bs trying to pretend this is some kind of [...]