Democrats

Democrats Go Down on the Auto Bailout

John Ridley | Posted 12.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Layoffs, Cars, Chrysler, Auto Bailout Failure, Job Cuts, Gm, Ford, Automaker Bailout, Automakers, Congress, Senate Democrats, Democrats, Fiancial Crisis, Economy, Politics News
John Ridley

Passage of the $15 billion dollar bailout package for Detroit auto makers is far from a done deal. But should it pass, know that it did so because Democrats yet again folded like cheap lawn chairs.

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GOP to America: Drop Dead, or "What's in it for Me?"

David Fiderer | Posted 12.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Detroit Automakers, Auto Bailout, Bush Administration, Mitch McConnell, Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Republican, Kentucky, Financial Crisis, Democrats, Detroit Bailout Reaction, Politics News
David Fiderer

Let's be clear, the Republican senators' moves against the Detroit bailout is not about $15 billion, which is a rounding error in the context of the Iraq surge or the financial bailout.

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The Day the Music Died

Larry Gellman | Posted 12.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Liberal Media, Right Wing Media, Rush Limbaugh, Jeffrey Goldberg, George W. Bush, Obama, Mccain, Airport Security, Democrats, Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert, Election Reaction, Sean Hannity, The Atlantic, Sarah Palin, Conservative Talk Radio, Republicans, Colbert Report, Fox News Channel, Politics News
Larry Gellman

For eight years, our president, his team, and his vocal fan club on Fox and the radio have been singing the same sick and dissonant song. They tried to divide the country by spreading fear.

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Republicans Kill any Help for Detroit

Steve Parker | Posted 12.12.2008 | Business

Read More: Tarp, Automotive News, Congress, Chrysler, Election Day, United Auto Workers, Honda, Federal Reserve, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Ford, Trifecta, Nikkei, Nissan, General Motors, Troubled Asset Relief Plan, Hyundai, Christmas, US Senate, Bill Clinton, Uaw, Gm, Detroit Three, European Union, Democrats, Walkman, Barack Obama, Tokyo, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Wall Street, Detroit Three Loans, Bmw, Transplant, Harry Reid, NY Times, Southeast, Asian, China, Sony, Republicans, Business News
Steve Parker

Late last night, Senate Republicans derailed a bill, passed the day before by the House, to loan $15 billion to the Detroit Three, with 10 Republicans joining 40 Democrats and two Independents in favor.

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Auto bill clears House; Should it pass the Senate, too?

Steve Parker | Posted 12.11.2008 | Business

Read More: Aclu, White House, Congress, 1979 Chrysler Bailout, Brooklyn, George W. Bush, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Mazda, Mark Fields, Cerberus Capital Management, Energy Department, General Motors, Buddhist, Hyundai, Nancy Pelosi, Washington, US Senate, Richard Shelby, Barney Dog, Silver Arrows, Uaw, California, Toyota, Bernard Cahier, Detroit Three, John Snow, Democrats, Barack Obama, Ford Motor Co, Robert F. Kennedy, Chrysler, Alabama, Ross Perot, Bush White House, Detroit Three Loans, Roger Penske, Car Czar, Harry Reid, Allard Lowenstein, French Grand Prix, Republicans, Business News
Steve Parker

And now, it's on to the Senate! The House today passed, 237 to 170, HR 7321, the automotive loan bailout bill, and has sent it on to the Senate. H...

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Why Are Congressional Democrats Giving in to Bush on the Auto Bailout?

Mitchell Bard | Posted 12.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Elections, Thomas Friedman, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Chrysler, American Automobile Industry, Honda, George W. Bush, Ford, Democrats, Democrats Congress, Energy Policy, Barack Obama, Auto Bailout, General Motors, Rod Blagojevich, Reducing Emissions, Subaru, New York Times, Car Czar, Mitsubishi, Green Economy, Bank Bailout, Global Warming, Detroit Bailout, Politics News
Mitchell Bard

You would think that winning the White House and overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress would instill some backbone into Democrats on Capitol Hill. You would, of course, be wrong.

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Night of the Long Pointing Fingers

Brian Ross | Posted 12.09.2008 | Politics

Read More: Mitt Romney, George Bush, Spin, Gop, Saxby Chambliss, George W. Bush, Republican, Bush Interviews, Religious Right, Reaganomics, Dick Cheney, Iraq WMD, Mike Huckabee, Republican Rewrite, Values, Republican Values, Karl Rove, Wmd, Political Pundits, Bush Exit, Gipper, Democrats, War in Iraq, Al Qaeda, Moral Values, The Blame Game, Bush Administration, Saddam Hussein, Rachel Maddow, Sarah Palin, Charles Gibson, Wolf Blitzer, Politics News
Brian Ross

Republican politicians all seem to be trying their hand at historic re-creationism to transform both the history and future of the Republican party into their own image.

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Friday Talking Points [57] -- End Of Prohibition 75th Anniversary Edition

Chris Weigant | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics

Read More: Weapons Inspectors, Marie Antoinette, Pardon, Autoworkers, Feinstein, Marijuana, Al Franken, Barney Frank, Medical Marijuana, Legacy, Difi, Prohibition, Jerrold Nadler, Bush Legacy, Northern Ireland, Midnight Regulations, Bailout, Norm Coleman, Midotw, Treasury, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Ireland, Health Care, Reid, Detroit, Cash Room, 2700 Year Old, Army Field Manual, Democrat, Congress, 21st Amendment, Right Wing, Visitors Center, Minnesota, Lie, Democrats, Santa, Barack Obama, Brian Williams, The Troubles, Liquor, Michael Medved, Constitution, Mddotw, Harry Reid, Recount, Hillary Clinton, Utah, Post-Partisan Depression, Capitol, Secretary of State, Senate, Grandstanding, Amendment, Gop, Senator, Obama, Democratic, Dianne Feinstein, Iraq, Anniversary, Drink, Bush, Republican, Paulson, Clinton, Charlie Gibson, Schedule I, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Schedule II, Wmd, House, Frank, Franken, Post-Partisan, 2008 Election, Tourists, Talk Radio, Chris Weigant, Smell, Prohibition Repeal, Stink, Torture, Medved, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Brian Williams, NBC's talking head extraordinaire, is probably a decent guy, a guy with whom you could sit down and have a beer. [More on the alcohol...

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House Will Return To Five-Day Work Week In 2009

The Hill | Mike Soraghan | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics

Read More: House of Representatives, Congress, US Congress, Democrats, Congress Work Week, Politics News

House Democratic leaders have decided to lengthen the congressional workweek next year as they try to implement President-elect Obama's agenda and cle...

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Obama: 1 (month), Poverty: 0 (mentions)

Elizabeth Rigby | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics

Read More: Welfare, Poverty, Food Stamps, Middle Class, President Obama, Eitc, John Edwards, Obama Transition, Democrats, Democratic Party, Barack Obama, Politics News
Elizabeth Rigby

In his first month as President-elect, Barack Obama has remained silent on the issue of poverty. Across more than 30 public statements since electio...

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Federal Policy Under Obama

Scott Widmeyer | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics

Read More: Democrats, Federal Policy, Senate, Election, Barack Obama, Politics News
Scott Widmeyer

Democrats will work over the next few years to solidify their power. But, if there has been one constant in partisan control over the last two decades, it's been change.

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Health-Care Reform Could Kill the GOP

Thomas Frank | Posted 12.03.2008 | Politics

Read More: Conservatives, Bill Kristol, Health, Gop, Democrats, Health Care, Republicans, Politics News
Thomas Frank

Liberal that I am, I support health-care reform on its merits alone. But it pleases me even more to think that the conservatives' nightmare of permanent defeat might come true simply if Democrats do the right thing.

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Why Liberals Need Labor: The Upcoming Battle over Labor Law Reform

Peter Dreier | Posted 12.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Efca, Progressive, Obama, Labor Movement, Democrats, Unions, Labor Law Reform, Politics News
Peter Dreier

The U.S. has the most inequality and poverty of any industrialized country. And it's no coincidence that the U.S. has, by far, the fewest workers covered by a union contract among all major affluent nations.

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Debriefing the New Mexico Dem Chair

Dave Maass | Posted 12.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Bingaman, Election Reaction, Democratic Party, Election, Brian Colon, New Mexico, Democrats, Politics News
Dave Maass

I grilled Democratic Party Chairman of New Mexico Brian Colon on the election cycle, his political ambitions and whether he taunted his Republican counterpart with text messages.

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Political Parties Are Not "Checks" Or "Balances"

Chris Weigant | Posted 12.01.2008 | Politics

Read More: 60-Vote, Pardon, House, Impeachment, Filibuster-Proof Majority, Executive, Legislative, Democrat, Filibuster, Chambliss, Majority, Democrats, 2008 Election, President, Election, Checks and Balances, Politics, Constitution, Senator, George Washington, Political Party, Chris Weigant, Party, Branch, Georgia, Balance of Power, Runoff, Jim Martin, Saxby Chambliss, Separation of Powers, Senate, Filibuster-Proof, Politics News
Chris Weigant

I'm not worried about whether checks and balances will disappear if Republicans don't have more than 40 seats in the Senate. True checks and balances are more fundamental than party affiliation.

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Democratic Agenda vs. Conservative Courts

Harper Jean Tobin | Posted 11.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: Court Rulings, Americans With Disabilities Act, Genetics, Democrats, Conservatives, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, Gina, Politics News
Harper Jean Tobin

The Supreme Court has ruled that Congress cannot pass any law protecting state employees without extensive proof that states are violating the Constitution.

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Sam Stein

Battle Over Next Oversight Chair Heats Up

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 11.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: Steering Committee, Oversight Committee, Invetsigations, Battle Brewing, Henry Waxman, Ed Towns, Democrats, Elijah Cummings, Oversight and Government Reform, Politics News

As of Tuesday there is no official race for the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee -- a spot created once Rep. Henry ...

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A Response To Rep. Elijah Cummings

Chris Weigant | Posted 11.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Business Expense, Loophole, Tax Code, Maximum Wage, Populism, Kucinich, Sherrod Brown, Corporate Tax, Stock Options, Corporate, Business, Wastefulness, Corporate Jet, Pelosi, Business Costs, Big Business, Bailout, Luxury, Taxable, Populist, Ceos, Deductibility, Taxpayer Money, Capital Gains, Reid, Detroit, Elijah Cummings, Auto Companies, Taxes, Greed, Citigroup, Democrat, Business Tax, Congress, Loopholes, Democrats, Income Tax, Profit, Resort, Fat Cat, Tax, Corporations, Chris Weigant, Ceo, Shareholder, Outrage, Business Meeting, Stadium Tax, Mets, Deductible, Stadium Naming, Deduction, Tax Deductible, Cummings, Politics News
Chris Weigant

The loopholes which allow such corporate excess were not exactly handed down to Moses on tablets -- each and every loophole was approved by Congress.

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Why the Conservatives Won't Crack-up, But the Left Probably Will

Rupert Russell | Posted 11.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, Ronald Reagan, Rnc, George W. Bush, Christian Right, Democrats, Labor Unions, Barack Obama, Weekly Standard, FISA Bill, Election Reaction, Dwight Eisenhower, Conservatives, Richard Nixon, Obama FISA, Pakistan Crisis, William F. Buckley, Neoconservatives, Special Interests, Grover Norquist, William Kristol, Politics News
Rupert Russell

The conservative Counter-Establishment is the most cast-iron entanglement of alliances and dependencies known in modern American history.

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Dems: Congress Could Back Stimulus Plan Up To $700 Billion (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Posted 11.23.2008 | Politics

Read More: Chuck Schumer, Congress, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Economy, Economic Stimulus, Huge Stimulus Package, Democrats, Stimulus Package, Video, Politics News

UPDATE: President-elect Obama urged swift passage by Congress of a massive two-year spending and tax-cutting recovery program which significantly exce...

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Europe's, China's carmakers ask for help; Waxman wins key Congressional post

Steve Parker | Posted 11.22.2008 | Business

Read More: House of Representatives, Congress, Chrysler, America, Ford Mustang, Rick Wagoner, Cars, Gas/Electric Hybrid, John Dingell, Ford, Clean Diesel, Chevy Silverado, Dodge Durango Hybrid, Los Angeles Auto Show, Chevy Malibu Hybrid, General Motors, Robert Nardelli, Japanese Cars, Washington, Detroit, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Michigan, Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, California, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Alan Mulally, Detroit Three, Chevrolet, Henry Waxman, Democrats, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senate, ABC News, Angela Merkel, Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis, Asian, Opel, European, Business News
Steve Parker

In a major win for all consumers, Democrats in the House of Representatives voted Thursday to put Rep. Henry Waxman of California in charge of a key p...

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Geithner Pick Mystifies Some Traditional Democratic Constituencies

Wall Street Journal | JON HILSENRATH and DEBORAH SOLOMON | Posted 11.22.2008 | Politics

Read More: Obama Cabinet, Timothy Geithner Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, Timothy Geithner, Democrats, Wall Street, Treasury Secretary, Politics News

As a young Treasury aide in the late 1990s, Timothy Geithner once said his proudest accomplishment was helping assemble more than $100 billion in inte...

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Friday Talking Points [56] -- Turkeys Everywhere!

Chris Weigant | Posted 11.21.2008 | Politics

Read More: Turkey Slaughter, Leadership, Turkey, Leadership Battle, John Dingell, Media, Charlie Rangel, Waxman, Chairman, Bush, Lieberman, Television, Pelosi, Last-Minute, Video, Midnight Regulations, Clinton, Regulations, Networks, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Turkeys, Palin Turkey, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Leadership Fight, Reid, Detroit, Committee, Butcher, House, Framing, Charles Rangel, Homeland Security, Rules, 60 Days, Dingell, Democrat, Henry Waxman, Democrats, 2008 Election, Interview, Slaughterhouse, Rangel, Mddotw, Hillary, Chris Weigant, Palin, Sarah Palin, Leak, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, News, Meat, Leaks, Secretary of State, Senate, Politics News
Chris Weigant

While today is not officially Turkey Day, I will warn you in advance that it's going to be a theme running through today's column, like gravy through ...

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Message to President-Elect Obama: After Heller, "Build a Bridge to Moderates" with Common Sense On Guns

Paul Helmke | Posted 11.20.2008 | Politics

Read More: Pollsters, Polls, Supreme Court, Red States, National Rifle Association, George W. Bush, Gun Control, Obama Transition, Democrats, Mark Penn, Nra, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Guns, Illegal Guns, Republicans, Politics News
Paul Helmke

Because of the Supreme Court decision, the gun violence prevention debate has shifted from the extremes to the middle.

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Detroit's Day of Reckoning (with Thanks to David Halberstam)

Steve Parker | Posted 11.19.2008 | Business

Read More: Chapter 11, Peter Morici, Chrysler, United Auto Workers, Rick Wagoner, David Halberstam, Cars, Chris Dodd, Ford, Robert Lutz, Nissan, Robert Nardelli, US Senate, Detroit, Richard Shelby, President Bush, Masters of the Universe, Northwest Airlines, Uaw, Bankruptcy, Gm, Alan Mulally, Pebble Beach, Detroit Three, Washington DC, Democrats, Barack Obama, Tokyo Motor Show, Ron Gettelfinger, Code Pink, Harry Reid, Republicans, Dearborn, Business News
Steve Parker

This week's bailout hearing signaled what looks like the ultimate day of reckoning for this country's once-great and world-dominating car making industry. All Americans are tired of the excuses.

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