Obama didn't merely defend the RIGHT to build the "mosque"...

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Saturday August 14, 2010 · 7:54 PM PDT

2010/08/14 · 19:54

With his off-hand comments today, many are now criticizing the president for backtracking. Their argument is that it's all well and good to support the "right" to build at the site, but since many of the project's critics, including Sarah Palin, concede the "right" to build, that really isn't the issue.

However, I think it's important that we look at Obama's Iftar address again. What made the speech so powerful wasn't that he specifically endorsed the construction of the community center in Lower Manhattan. (Indeed, you could argue that as president, it's not his place to wade into local land-use controversies.) Nor was the speech powerful solely because he endorsed the "right" to build at the site. What made the speech powerful was that it was a very stirring affirmation of Muslim-Americans' place in American society.

liberalpragmatist

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Sunday March 28, 2010 · 10:57 AM PDT

2010/03/28 · 10:57

Throughout this race, the conventional wisdom has been that Rep. Kendrick Meek, the likely Democratic nominee for this year's Florida Senate election, would be crushed whether the Republicans nominated Marco Rubio or Charlie Crist. Recently, though, some have been reevaluating this race, as general election polls show Meek proving surprisingly competitive, especially against Rubio. Meek is still the likely underdog, especially in what is likely to be a Republican-trending year, but a close finish or an outright win isn't out of the question.

On Monday, Meek will boost that impression by turning in 130,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. What is remarkable is that very few candidates qualify for the ballot this way; you can get on a primary ballot for just $10,000, so most candidates simply opt to pay that.

liberalpragmatist

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Friday March 19, 2010 · 7:45 AM PDT

2010/03/19 · 07:45

I've been skeptical that Arcuri ultimately would vote no, given that support from unions and the Working Families' Party is on the line.

Yet it appears that Arcuri is digging in. He has just released a press statement saying he will vote no.

liberalpragmatist

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Tuesday March 09, 2010 · 12:25 PM PST

2010/03/09 · 12:25

According to a report from the Politico blog, Live Pulse, the House leadership is considering passing the Senate bill using a procedural maneuver that would allow House members to avoid actually voting for the Senate bill. David Waldman first wrote about this option way back on January 20 in the immediate aftermath of the Massachusetts Senate election. It's called the "Self-Executing Rule," and it may also permit the House to make passage of the Senate bill conditional on the Senate passing the reconciliation bill.

liberalpragmatist

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Wednesday March 03, 2010 · 11:37 AM PST

2010/03/03 · 11:37

Freshman Democratic Representative Eric Massa (NY) will reportedly announce on a 3pm conference call with reporters that he will not seek reelection. Current speculation is that the congressman, who was previously treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, may have a cancer recurrence.

UPDATE: Conflicting information coming through, with other sources claiming the reason for his departure is an ethics complaint against him for sexually harassing a male staffer.

liberalpragmatist

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Tuesday February 16, 2010 · 8:25 PM PST

2010/02/16 · 20:25

With Evan Bayh's sudden retirement, the Indiana Democratic Party will name a candidate to the ballot. Most of the speculation focuses on Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a southern Indiana congressman who is a former sheriff. Ellsworth is attractive and politically talented, but he is also one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. And though he hasn't been in the House for long (elected in 2006), the fact that he has been a member of a fairly unpopular Congress could count against him.

Rep. Baron Hill is also being considered. Though Hill is a Blue Dog, he's actually fairly liberal, with a 100% rating from NARAL, and votes for cap and trade and health care reform. He even supported the public option. He also has a history of winning tough races in a Republican district. However, with Hill having been in Washington off and on since 1998, he too may be vulnerable in an anti-incumbent year. And between terms he worked as a lobbyist. Unfairly or not, Dan Coats will probably claim that attacks on his lobbying career are examples of the pot calling the kettle black.

How about someone unconnected to DC? Someone smart, progressive, and capable? How about David Orentlicher?

liberalpragmatist

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Thursday January 28, 2010 · 3:03 PM PST

2010/01/28 · 15:03

Good news! For those of us who hate the filibuster, and for those of us who see the need for reconciliation to save health care reform, North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad's words couldn't be more welcome. As the chairman of the Budget Committee, Conrad is responsible for shepharding bills through the reconciliation process. Today, Conrad has said he will support sidecar reconciliation. What's more? He sees reconciliation as something the Senate will have to use more and more if 60 is the new 50.

liberalpragmatist

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Thursday January 21, 2010 · 10:55 PM PST

2010/01/21 · 22:55

I don't think I've ever been so angry at Democrats across the board. It isn't just the fumbled special election in Massachusetts. It's the total meltdown among Democrats in the House, the Senate, and the White House. Near-universal coverage bills have passed each chamber of Congress. We are one yard from the end zone. Just a week ago, we were on the cusp of a cross-chamber agreement.

Yet ever since the Massachusetts election, we're at in an unbelievable impasse. The Senate is telling the House "ball's in your court." The House is saying "We're not gonna." And the White House seems to simply be saying "you guys figure this out."

Now, we're getting articles about scaling the bill back? House progressives want to break the bill up? Are people going insane? The Senate bill is the last, best game in town. This is no time for brinkmanship. It is not the time for redesigning the wheel. It is not the time for backing down. Just pass the f***ing Senate bill, as Paul Krugman says.

liberalpragmatist

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Wednesday January 20, 2010 · 2:45 PM PST

2010/01/20 · 14:45

Emerging from a meeting with Pelosi, Rep. Jan Schakowski said she and the House Progressive Caucus could not support the Senate health care bill. However, her comments, as conveyed by Politico's Ben Smith, leave considerable confusion.

liberalpragmatist

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Sunday January 17, 2010 · 8:15 PM PST

2010/01/17 · 20:15

Public Policy Polling (D) has announced the findings of their most recent Senate poll. They determine that Scott Brown (R) leads Martha Coakley (D) by 5 points, 51-46. Not encouraging news, to say the least. They do, however, qualify their findings, suggesting that the final result will depend heavily on turnout.

Full discussion below the fold.

liberalpragmatist

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Tuesday January 05, 2010 · 9:54 PM PST

2010/01/05 · 21:54

This one was rumored for awhile, and whispers first started appearing when a Kossack diaried that he been polled about a prospective Ford vs. Gillibrand Senate primary.

Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall’s Democratic primary, according to three people who have spoken with him.

Poll

299 votes Show Results

Who would you vote for in a New York Democratic Senate Primary?

299 votes Vote Now!

Who would you vote for in a New York Democratic Senate Primary?

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (inc.)

242 votes

Harold E. Ford, Jr.

25 votes

Undecided

32 votes

The Public Option Distraction (Or, Why This Bill Should Pass)

liberalpragmatist

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Saturday December 19, 2009 · 4:07 PM PST

2009/12/19 · 16:07

The last few days on DKos and the left-wing blogosphere have been fairly rough. Democrats and progressive are understandably angry that the public option and the Medicare opt-in have been stripped from the Senate's health care bill. The consensus on this site and many others is to kill the bill and start over with one that includes a public option and can be pushed through reconciliation.

But despite the removal of the public option and the Medicare buy-in, this is actually a pretty good bill. And I think it's worth addressing some of the assertions and charges that the "Kill the Bill" crowd is making. No, a weak public option was not a major cost control. Yes, we need an individual mandate. No, subsidies for health insurance are not a corporate "bailout." And yes, regulation can work.

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Obama didn't merely defend the RIGHT to build the "mosque"...

FL-Sen: Meek Turns in 130,000 Signatures

Mike Arcuri (NY) is a firm NO... UPDATE: SEIU pulls support

Politico: House may not actually vote on Senate bill

((Breaking)) NY-29: Eric Massa Not Running for Reelection

IN-SEN: How about David Orentlicher?

Kent Conrad: Yes to reconciliation, Re: filibuster: Senate needs to "reconsider" its rules

Pass the Senate Bill (Krugman Says So Too)

Schakowsky Says "No" to Senate Bill - But What About a Reconciliation Fix-It?

PPP: Brown 51, Coakley 46

NYT: Harold Ford considering New York Senate bid

The Public Option Distraction (Or, Why This Bill Should Pass)