Recently in Progressives Category

I suppose everybody has a particular portion of this alleged health care "reform" bill passed by the Senate which they find the most objectionable. For some it's the individual mandate, for some it's the lack of a public option. For me it's the 40% excise tax on the so-called "Cadillac" plans. Better known as the 'screw organized labor and the middle-class' tax, in my opinion. It's not in the House version, they propose an income...

First I want to thank everybody for your comments on yesterday's post. Sorry I couldn't jump in but sometimes work gets in the way. The debate between "kill the bill" and "pass it and fix it later" is a good one with valid points to be made on both sides. That's why I like the forum we have here at the Hurricane so much. We can disagree with each other and have a substantive discussion...

As I look around the political landscape today, illustrated perfectly by the complete chaos that the health care reform debate has evolved into, I have to ask myself, what the hell happened? How did the Obama presidency, which had so much promise and potential for becoming the "change" that so many of us voted for and hoped for, turn into such a mess? How did this happen to a president who was elected in what...

So what's left? No public option, no Medicare buy-in, thanks to President Lieberman. The 90% medical loss ratio? That's dead, too. The Dorgan amendment on drug importation comes up for a vote today. Look for that to disappear as well. The ban on denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and recission is still there so far, but then again President Lieberman isn't through making demands yet. Stay tuned. But have no fear, the individual mandate...

"The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law."Those were the words of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Boumediene v. Bush decision in June of 2008, in which the Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo had habeas corpus rights, and words which were confirmed again yesterday when Attorney...

Following up on yesterday's post, there was some very encouraging news yesterday concerning the proposed escalation of the war in Afghanistan. First, the Washington Post reported that U.S. ambassador Karl Eikenberry:..."sent two classified cables to Washington in the past week expressing deep concerns about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan until President Hamid Karzai's government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption and mismanagement that has fueled the Taliban's rise...The ambassador also has...

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the day Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. Although he has only been in office for nine months, I thought it would be an appropriate time to reflect and re-assess my vote for him and see if I made the proper choice, based on what I know now. As I did I remembered his speech on the night of November 4, 2008:"The road ahead will be...

Despite the screaming headline in the New York Post, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, that "The Obama Magic Has Faded," last night's election results and exit polls tell a different story. A little analysis and perspective:* In the race for Congress in the 23rd district of New York, Doug Hoffman, the darling of the far-right extremists, lost. Eljefebob has the analysis on this, so I'll move on to New Jersey and Virginia.* In what...

Republican candidate for New York District 23, Dede Scozzafava, recently pulled out of the race.  She had come under withering attacks from Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman and his supporters, including Sarah Palin, for not being "conservative enough" because of her pro-choice, pro-gay marriage stance on social issues, ties to organized labor, and support for the stimulus.  Scozzafava claims her record was misrepresented and that she simply could not raise enough money to counter the...

In the latest episode of our national soap opera, As the Health Care Reform Turns, Senator Joe Lieberman said that he would support a filibuster of a bill that contains a public option. Sort of, kinda, maybe: "Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told reporters today that he would in fact filibuster any health care bill he doesn't agree with--and right now, he doesn't agree with the public option proposal making its way through the Senate."I told...