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Debt Ceiling Debate Reveals GOP-Tea Party Fault Lines
Tweet Share on Facebook January 3, 2011 Comment (23)The heating up of the debt ceiling debate not only reveals fault lines within the Republican Party, but also suggests why Republican leaders were actually quite eager to get the tax package deal done during the 111th Congress rather than wait until the start of the 112th. Certainly, “no one wanted to see taxes go up on January 1st." However, Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell likely also recognized that passing a tax deal that protects tax breaks for the wealthy and adds to the deficit, would be a nonstarter for the incoming Tea Party freshman on whom their majority status (in the House) rests. Starting the 112th Congress on Wednesday with a vote that directly contradicted a group of freshmen Tea Party members who campaigned on the promise to reduce the deficit and reign in spending would have led to a January insurrection. Such an early fight would have emboldened the new, as yet unpredictable freshmen, giving them significant momentum leading up to the fights that will now take place in March when the existing continuing resolution on the budget expires on March 4th, and a decision on whether or not to raise the debt limit comes to a vote.
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Clarence Thomas Is the One Who Should Apologize, Not Anita Hill
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2010 Comment (30)Since none of Ginny Thomas’s friends have stepped up, I’ll say it: Sister, whatever it was that set you off, it’s time to take your business out of the street and talk to your man. He's the one with the answers you seek. On the one hand you have to admire Thomas’s ability to remain so steadfast in her denial for more than 20 years. On the other hand, placing that call at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, seemingly out of the blue, suggests that something or someone is threatening to shatter her state of denial.
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Emotional Connection Helped Obama Speech on Iraq Succeed
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2010 Comment (3)Most of the discussion about the president’s Iraq speech has focused on its political importance and the policy implications, but we shouldn’t undervalue its nonpolitical importance to the American psyche.
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Mehlman Should Speak Out Against GOP's Strategy of Hate
Tweet Share on Facebook August 27, 2010 Comment (27)When David Brock wrote Blinded by the Right in 2002, there was a lot of conversation among progressives about whether or not he could, or should, be trusted. Over the last few days I’ve found myself in similar conversations about former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman in the aftermath of his announcing that he is gay. On one hand, I personally have genuine compassion for Mehlman’s journey and the challenges he must have dealt with in his decision to be open about his sexuality.
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California Prop 8 Gay Marriage Ruling a Win For American Values
Tweet Share on Facebook August 5, 2010 Comment (20)Yesterday's ruling that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional reaffirms a long-held American value that no matter how you try to spin it, separate is not equal. While some may not agree with same-sex marriage, history should remind us that our Constitution calls us to recognize that the laws in it apply equally, not to be picked apart to support a political agenda or bias. The arguments being used against same sex marriage are frighteningly similar and equally offensive as those once used against interracial marriage. While a Gallup poll in 1967 found that 74 percent of Americans disapproved of interracial marriage, it's almost hard to remember just how far we've come.
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When Democrats Win in 2010, GOP Can Blame Michael Steele
Tweet Share on Facebook July 9, 2010 Comment (23)I know a little something about party chairmen who “misspeak,” so trust me when I say it’s no surprise that Steele isn’t going anywhere. In Steele’s case, it’s not just about what he has said, it’s about what he has done, and what he has failed to do. Ironically, the more he has become the butt of jokes, the more Michael Steele has become a metaphor for the ideological turmoil of his party on the one hand, and the more he has become the perfect fall guy for the GOP on the other.
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Obama's Gulf Oil Spill Speech Worked, But Message Problems Linger
Tweet Share on Facebook June 17, 2010 Comment (9)By Karen Finney, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
It’s not the president’s job to be all things to all people. You wouldn’t know that from the harsh criticism his speech received across the political spectrum and the punditocracy. Apparently, we should all be angry that there was not a transformational moment of Zen in which we all heard just the right words, in the speech, that would be the turning point and make everyone feel better, at least until the next crisis.
It was a good speech. Not a great speech. Not a historical, national galvanizing moment that we will remember as the turning point in this crisis. But who cares? Do we really need yet another big, emotional, moment? We’ve had plenty of them over the past 18 months. Most Americans living outside the beltway or off of the island of Manhattan have had plenty of drama in trying to keep their homes, or find a job. Instead of drama they want action and maybe, competent leadership. -
How Democrats Can Answer Angry Voters
Tweet Share on Facebook June 9, 2010 Comment (18)By Karen Finney, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Listen up, incumbents. Tuesday’s elections again demonstrated that you’d better have an answer to the question, “What have you done for me lately?” because all bets are officially off. Voters are again having their say and neither the political parties, nor the pundits, nor pollsters truly know just what will happen next. Despite pulling it out in the end, even Blanche Lincoln’s win, combined with the other results, reinforce the existence of a strong anti-incumbent, anti-establishment mood.
