I wrote this blog entry on Eclectablog nearly a year ago in March 2010. When you read it, consider the fact that Democrats made a concerted effort back then to rein in the use of violent metaphors and language/rhetoric. In the wake of the passage of the Affordable Care Act when emotions were high and passions were higher, the Democrats […]

Just wanted to highlight something from my post earlier today where I looked at 17 of the bills submitted by the GOP in the past two days. Six bills to repeal all or parts of the health insurance reform law. One to repeal Wall Street reform. One to lower the wages of minimum wage workers lucky enough to get health […]

[NOTE: Edited to include the name of the sponsor of each bill.] Here’s a snapshot of what we have to look forward to this year from the Republicans. As of this writing, just over 200 bills have been submitted in Congress. Here are some of the most odious ones. H.R. 2 (Eric Cantor)- Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act […]

Yesterday, House Republicans read aloud the Constitution of the United States. Quick run-down on the multiple levels of fail: They read it a few sentences at a time and each reader had to be recognized “I now recognize the Representative from the great state of Ohio” “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Section 12, subpart (a)…[blah, blah, blah]… I yield”. “The gentleman […]

It’s actually getting better. The government is expected to report Friday that businesses stepped up hiring in December, a trend likely to gain momentum in 2011. Economists are predicting that employers added a net total of 145,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate dipped to 9.7 percent. Some are even more optimistic after a private payroll firm estimated […]

File this in the “Are you effing kidding me???!” file: Republicans Go ‘Nah, Nah, Nah’ and Ban Word ‘Labor’ from Committee Petty. Petty. Petty. With major issues like jobs and the economy straining for attention, House Republican leaders took a big step to solving the nation’s problems when they boldly acted—drum roll, please—to change the name of the Education and […]

A landmark piece of legislation passed during the lame duck session that puts more regulations in place to guard our country’s food supply than any law in many decades. And the GOP is going to try to make sure the food safety law doesn’t get funded. The legislation would greatly strengthen the regulatory hand of the Food and Drug Administration, […]

From Talking Points Memo: Over the last two years, Dems broke more filibusters than any Senate in recorded history. In fact the only other Senate that comes close was the last Senate, right after the GOP lost its controlling majority on the Hill. Of course they wouldn’t have been able to set this record if Republicans hadn’t abused the filibuster […]

Unreal. Did you hear about the Republicans last-minute dick move to scuttle implementation of the repeal of DADT? Read it and weep: Republicans in the Senate filed an amendment to a sweeping defense authorization bill that would have required the four military service chiefs to be part of the certification process called for in the bill that repeals the “don’t […]

It’s been quite a lame duck session for Democrats: They got Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repealed. They got unemployment benefits for millions of out of work Americans extended for a year. They got the middle class tax cuts extended for two years. They got a economy-stimulating payroll tax holiday put in place. They got major food safety bill passed. They […]

So, let’s get this straight. This week Republicans: Filibustered to death a bill that would “would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks”. The 911 responders, aka “heroes”, were thereby denied this essential compensation. Republicans also voted down the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage […]