Up or Down Vote

Friday Talking Points [116] -- Is It Sausage Yet?

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Brian Cowen, Sausage, Saint Patricks Day, Thomas Porteous, St Patrick, Charles Schumer, Sweeping Social Legislation, St Patricks Day, Nancy Pelosi, Up or Down, Self-Executing Rule, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Impeach, Lindsey Graham, Joe Biden, Chicken Little, Whip, Biden, Barack Obama, Schumer, James Clyburn, Israel, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Up or Down Vote, Senate, Saint Patrick, Obama, Immigration, Friday Talking Points, Republican, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Federal Judge, House, Jobs Bill, Settlements, Biden Gaffe, Republican Chicken Little Moment, Bunning, Sausage Making, Vote, Jim Bunning, Chris Weigant, Bipartisanship, Whip Count, Porteous, Cowen, Health Care Reform, Politics News
Chris Weigant

If nothing else comes of it, you've got to admit that the health reform movement has given a lot of people a very detailed education about the sausage-making process in Washington.

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Friday Talking Points [114] -- When Will Rahm Go? Place Your Bets!

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: White House, Quatloo, Ways and Means, Reform, Alan Grayson, Barking, Party of No, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Halter, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Health Care, Glennbeckistan, Reconciliation, Abortion, Eric Massa, Committee, Robert Byrd, Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, EJ Dionne, Harry Reid, Up or Down Vote, Senate, Healthcare, President Obama, Sidecar, Cornhusker Kickback, Obama, Charlie Rangel, Friday Talking Points, Republican, Stupak, Unemployment, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Rahm, Bart Stupak, Abc, Primary, Rahmbo, Scandal, Stephanopoulos, Blanche Lincoln, Jim Bunning, Chris Weigant, Rahmwars, Politics News
Chris Weigant

The debate outside the Beltway (and, increasingly, inside the Beltway as well) is whether Rahm Emanuel should leave his job sooner, or later.

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Just the Facts, Ma'am

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Polls, President Obama, Summit, Obama, Poll, Democratic, Reform, Facts, Republican, Television, Marketplace, 39 Percent, Congressional Budget Office, Thirty-Nine Percent, Health Care, Reconciliation, C-Span, Public Option, Televised, Cbo, Democrat, Democrats, Barack Obama, 39, Meeting, Just the Facts Maam, Chris Weigant, Health, Free Market, Joe Friday, Up or Down Vote, Healthcare, Dragnet, Politics News
Chris Weigant

While important I refuse to call this meeting a "summit," since Democratic and Republican politicians squabbling simply does not reach the heights of two nuclear powers tensely sitting down to talk about missiles.

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Every Democratic Senator Must Vote to Allow an Up or Down Vote on Health Care

Robert Creamer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Public Health Insurance Plan, President Obama, Public Option, Senate Democrats, Breaking News, Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, Filibuster, Up or Down Vote, Health Insurance Reform, Cloture, Politics News
Robert Creamer

If a Democratic Senator votes to prevent his party from having an up or down vote on its top domestic priority, he is endangering the political lives of his swing district colleagues. That would be unforgivable.

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Friday Talking Points [91] -- Win One For Teddy

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Social Security, Ted, May You Be in Heaven, Cloture, Win One for Teddy, Employee Free Choice Act, Public Universities, Irish Wake, Kennedy, Teddy Kennedy, Filibuster, Politicizing, Reform, Politicize, Democratic, Friday Talking Points, Paul Wellstone, Funeral, Video, Edward Kennedy, Mayor Quimby, Simpsons, Senator, Chow-Dah, Midotw, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Public Education, Public University, Health Care, Reid, Diamond Joe Quimby, Irish, Card Check, Massachusetts, Democrat, Medicaid, Majority Leader, The Simpsons, Democrats, Efca, Springfield, The Simpsons Movie, USA Today, Contest, Edward M Kennedy, Mddotw, Eulogy, Chris Weigant, Health, Uncle Ted, Senator Kennedy, Harry Reid, Medicare, Irish Toast, Socialism, Higher Education, Wellstone, Teddy, Up or Down Vote, Quimby, Healthcare, Senate, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Calling for some sort of decorous avoidance of politics during politicians' funerals is downright ridiculous. It'd be like eulogizing Charles Lindbergh and not mentioning airplanes.

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Friday Talking Points [79] -- Judicial Activism And Bias

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mark Nickolas, Supreme Court, White House, Autoworkers, Burris, Constitutional Crisis, Power Struggle, Founding Fathers, Detainee Deaths, Gingrich, President, War Crimes, Rnc, Courts, Princeton, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Sotomayor, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Pussy Galore, Un, Ralph Nader, Judicial Activism, Republican National Committee, Court, Twitter, Terry McAuliffe, Congress, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, Constitution, Mddotw, Rod Blagojevich, Sonia Sotomayor, Truth Commission, Youtube, Banks, Hillary Clinton, Uaw, Bonuses, Up or Down Vote, Michael Guest, Same Sex, Nader, President Obama, Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, United Nations, Blaggy, Filibuster, Bankers, Obama, Scotus, Prejudice, Auschwitz, Blago, Republican, Government, Blagojevich, Lionel Sosa, Pelosi, Clinton, Activism, Federal Government, Bias, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Defense of Marriage Act, Legislating From the Bench, Benefits, Gm, Pyne Prize, Roland Burris, Philip Alston, Gay, State Department, Checks and Balances, Mcauliffe, Chris Kelly, Secretary of State, Wall Street, Chris Weigant, Spousal Benefits, Nominee, Doma, Torture, Alston, Politics News
Chris Weigant

"Judicial activism" (or, alternatively, "legislating from the bench") is defined -- no matter what your political beliefs -- as "judges not ruling the...

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