Tag Archives | Democrats

GOP releases latest budget proposal. Surprise: it cuts Medicare, Medicaid, & Social Security to pay for tax cuts for the rich

By on March 20, 2012 in Barack Obama, Democrats, President Obama

It’s deja vu all over again

Paul Ryan and his GOP pals released their latest budget proposal today. While it aims to eliminate the deficit by 2040. How do they hope to do this. No surprise: it cuts Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and Social Security, leaves military spending alone and cuts taxes on the wealthy.

The New Ryan Plan leaves the coupons-for-healthcare for seniors in there but makes a minor concession of giving seniors a traditional fee-for-service option, as well.

If you are rich, the news is good:

[T]he document — with its deep spending cuts paired with tax cuts — will provide new fodder for Democrats who will paint Republicans as willing to undermine retiree health programs, but unwilling to ask wealthy taxpayers to contribute more.…

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So, Michigan Dems, you gonna go support the guy that’s against kids going to college?

By on February 27, 2012 in Democrats, GOP Primary

Breathe deep and think about what you are doing

Tomorrow is the Michigan primary. A significant number of Dem-leaning pundits and commentators are encouraging Democrats to cross over and vote for Rick Santorum in the GOP primary.

You can do that. It’s totally legal. I’m asking you not to.

I’ve already gone on record as to why I think this is a truly bad idea. Stupid. Misguided. Ill-informed. All that.

Are you really going to walk into your local voting location, declare yourself a Republican and then vote for the guy you hate the most? That’s democracy to you?

Don’t do it.…


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Ben Nelson, Jon Tester and Mark Pryor are Democrats? Really? On what planet?

By on November 1, 2011 in Democrats

At what point do we stop calling these assholes “Democrats”?

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat who’s facing a tough reelection next year, said he’ll take a look at the latest jobs proposal — a $60 billion package to help rebuild aging infrastructure — but continues to have concerns about the fact that these bills have been funded by raising taxes on the rich. [...]

Earlier this month, Nelson and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined all Republicans in voting to filibuster President Barack Obama’s sweeping $447 billion jobs package. A week later, Nelson, Lieberman and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) joined Republicans in blocking debate on a $35 billion bill for state aid to pay for teachers, police officers and firefighters — Democrats’ first effort to break the jobs package into individual pieces.

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Can the GOP win in a hostage situation without vulnerable hostages?

By on April 8, 2011 in Barack Obama, Democrats, GOP, GOPocrisy, President Obama, Republican-Fail, Republicans

Last December the Republicans in Congress held unemployed Americans hostage in order to secure tax breaks for the nation’s über-wealthy. It was a strategy that worked because Democrats, including President Obama, were unwilling to sacrifice the welfare of our most-vulnerable citizens simply to win a political battle.

Once again the country finds the GOP in a hostage-taking situation. In order to exact draconian, harmful cuts to the budget, they are turning away from big ticket items like defense and away from bringing more revenue into the national coffers by raising taxes on the rich and on corporations that exploit huge tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share (or anything in the case of General Electric!) Their threat is that they will shut down government until they get their way.…


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A tale of two political parties in Michigan – a study in contrasts

By on March 18, 2011 in Democrats, Labor, Michigan, Republicans, unions

If you want to get a clear picture of the differences in between the two main political parties, you need look no further than Michigan this week. The differences between the parties could not be clearer … or starker.

This week Democrats called for a state constitutional amendment that would guarantee workers the right bargain collectively. Private AND public workers.

House and Senate Democratic leaders called Tuesday for a state constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to collective bargaining for all employees in the public and private sectors.

The resolution would require a two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate to be placed on the 2012 election ballot.

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Dems finally turning things around with regard to “messaging”

By on January 14, 2011 in Democrats

Much has been made about the epic fail of the Democrats with regard to their messaging. On health insurance reform and nearly every other issue you can name, they always get their asses handed to them by the Republicans. The Frank Luntz right-wing messaging factory has been a far superior operation and has been far more successful at framing the national conversation about all of these issues for a very long time.

Well, that may be about to change. Over the past couple of weeks, Organizing for America(OFA) has begun changing how they talk about the new health insurance reform law passed last year.…


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While the left urges civility, the right finds excuses

By on January 13, 2011 in Barack Obama, Conservatives, Democrats, President Obama, Republicans

I have found the national political response to the shootings in Arizona a fascinating study this past week. As I blogged earlier this week , when Democrats held out an olive branch to Republicans last year, asking for a mutual statement urging civility in political discourse, they were firmly rebuffed by RNC leadership. I had expected this recent tragedy to move them somewhat; to reconsider their position and, perhaps, to move toward pushing for a “toning down” of violent language and imagery.

Instead, what I have seen is the right searching for excuses why they don’t need to do that and reaching, sometimes almost comically, for examples of liberals “doing the same thing”.…


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Dems demoralized and not active? Think again.

By on January 10, 2011 in Democrats, Michigan, Organizing For America

This past weekend, Organizing for America (OFA) groups across the country held training sessions for folks interested in getting/remaining involved as we head into the new year. After a debilitating mid-term election, many folks have argued that Democrats are demoralized, unenthused and disinterested in being involved and active.

This is hardly the case.

In Michigan alone, we had four of these events on Saturday. The event I attended and helped to run was in Brighton where we had 90+ signed up and around 50 who actually attended. Sign-ups at the event in southeastern Michigan had to be cut-off at 150 and we had over hundred sign-ups at similar events in Oakland country and Flint.…


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Hallelujah

By on December 22, 2010 in Barack Obama, Democrats, President Obama

President Obama signs bill to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell into law.

Another bigoted policy from another era consigned to the rubbish bin of history. Sitting here in one of the most conservative cities in the state of Michigan, I’m almost weepy.

I’m just sayin’…

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Two amazing years – the Do-Something Congress

By on December 22, 2010 in Barack Obama, Democrats, President Obama

Mark Murray has an really good piece up at MSNBC called “The Do-Something Congress”. In it, he makes this rather dramatic statement:

[L]ost in the poll numbers and the voters’ message in November is this one unmistakable fact: This Congress, which likely will come to a close this week, accomplished more, legislatively, than any other Congress since the 1960s (the Great Society) or the 1930s (the New Deal).

It’s worth a read, in my opinion. There seems to be a false meme around the country that Democrats, including the Obama administration didn’t get anything done in their first half-term or that they are simply a rehash of the Bush administration.…


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