If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
It does not matter that Obama has been elected and reelected president. Republicans have made a decision that they will use the filibuster, the hold, and other tactics to ensure that he is simply unable to place people into the judiciary and various executive-branch positions.
Republicans have abused the filibuster process at a record rate. They've manipulated Senate recess to unprecedented levels. They've delayed and appealed decisions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can hobble this right-wing campaign against working people by deploying the nuclear option.
Don't be sidetracked today with the news of Michele Bachmann's decision not to run again. That's small potatoes relative to the biggest political and economic issue -- and showdown -- emerging in Congress.
How Harry Reid managed to miscalculate the consequences of his having chosen not to change the Senate rules in January when he and the Democratic majority had the opportunity is hard to fathom.
National tragedies like the Boston bombing are moments when all segments of American society come together to emphasize the values that we hold in common. The notion that some would see this instead as an opportunity to divide us -- to foment a civil war -- is deeply disturbing.
Reagan and Clarke share their reactions in personally terrorizing situations -- Ron after his father was shot, Torie at the Pentagon on 9/11 -- and how public officials should respond to violence. Good: "stay calm and carry on" like Deval. Bad: overreact w/ Iraq & torture. Ugly: vote for gun deaths.
It is vital that the Senate confirm Richard Cordray so the CFPB can get on with its important work. The confirmation of Mr. Cordray will begin to level the playing field and guarantee every consumer fair treatment.
DREAM Act kids? They deserve a vote. Judicial nominees? They deserve a vote. As long as the "they" being referenced are sympathetic to the vast majority of the American public, then the logic works.
Another filibuster and another headline for Rand Paul. The junior senator from Kentucky seems to be on a roll. First there was his attention-grabbing filibuster of America's drone policy, and now he is threatening the same on gun control.
It has been more than 20 years since Congress had a serious discussion about guns and gun violence. In the past five years alone, there have been at least 25 mass shootings, including the massacres In Aurora, Tucson, Fort Hood, Blacksburg and most recently, Newtown.
In spite of what the National Rifle Association says, the majority of Americans favor tighter gun control legislation. The hold-up in the Senate represents a failure of our democratic process.
For a three-month period, every American will get a perfect credit score, and the federal government will guarantee all loans made as a result of this "score stimulus."
Survey after national survey demonstrates that fully 91 percent of Americans, including 84 percent of gun owners, strongly support universal background checks. Is there any other issue that 91 percent of us strongly support?
Obama won't pay attention to the petition with 100,000+ signatures from people representing all 50 states demanding to reject the Monsanto Protection Act, just as Congress didn't pay attention to 3rd graders marching for gun regulations.
Now that the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid, has made sure an assault weapons ban won't even get a vote has he set his sights on gutting universal background checks?
Here we are, ten years later, Democrats -- commemorating an unnecessary war in Iraq by continuing to allow gun zealots to purchase unnecessary weapons of war. Obviously, Democrats are more willing to vote for a misguided war than to prevent the proliferation of weapons of war.
