democrats

John Boehner has said that they are listening to the people, so will they listen to this poll?

A 53% majority of registered voters also think that those who came into power campaigning on Obamacare repeal should decline their federal health plan, and only a third think they should accept it.  Many Democrats have been pushing Republicans to deny their benefits, but among all voters, the pressure is actually by far stronger with Republicans and independents than with Democrats.

When you read the crosstabs, 55% of conservatives say they should decline it. My guess is that the so called conservatives who got elected this year will just ignore this poll though. Maybe someone should ask freshman Rep. Andy Harris if he will change his demands for his government run healthcare now.

After having spent the past four years in the minority, you would think congressional Republicans could actually come up with some sort of plans. Instead they lay out their “wish list”, but never present any path to make these wishes a reality.

That was scene again last week with the Republicans new “Pledge to America”. They once again gave us their list to Santa Claus, but the logistics of bringing these gifts from the North Pole to under our trees is nonexistent. John Boehner more or less even admitted it.

Transcript via Huffington Post (emphasis added):

WALLACE: But forgive me, sir. I mean, isn't the right time to have the adult conversation now before the election when you have this document? Why not make a single proposal to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?

BOEHNER: Chris, this is what happens here in Washington. When you start down that path, you just invite all kinds of problems. I know. I've been there. I think we need to do this in a more systemic way and have this conversation first. Let's not get to the potential solutions. Let's make sure Americans understand how big the problem is. Then we can begin to talk about possible solutions and then work ourselves into those solutions that are doable.

Sens. George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida sided with Democrats to break a GOP filibuster on the small business bill. Remember when the GOP was all about reducing taxes, especially on small business? Yeah...neither do I.

OK just shoot me now:

Democrats are hoping they've found a new weapon for the November midterm election — the vulnerable appeal of teen pop star Justin Bieber. "Bieber can't vote in our midterms (he's both too young and too Canadian)," runs a get-out-the-vote clip that's being showcased by the liberal outreach group Campus Progress, a college spin-off of the Center for American Progress. The spot argues that Americans over 18 should show up at the polls to look out for Bieber's best interests. "Whomever we elect in the 2010 midterm elections will impact his future and ours," says one of the clip's participants. "So tell your parents, your grandparents, your Facebook friends... If they won't do it for you, ask them to do it for Bieber."

On the other hand, this could be a tool to bring in that Catholic priest vote.

Rep. Keith Ellison is unleashing at Robert Gibbs over his comments to The Hill. From The Huffington Post:

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), an active member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Gibbs went too far. "This is not the first time that Mr. Gibbs has made untoward and inflammatory comments and I certainly hope that people in the White House don't share his view that the left is unimportant to the president," he said. "I understand him having some loyalty to the president who employs him, but I think he's walking over the line."

Ellison said that Gibbs's resignation would be an appropriate response. "I think that'd be fair, yeah. That'd be fair, because this isn't the first time. And, again, people of all political shades worked very hard to help the president become the president. Why would he want to go out and deliberately insult the president's base? And why would he confuse legitimate critique with some sort of lack of loyalty. Isn't this what the far right does? Punishes people who are not ideologically aligned with President Bush?"

I got a feeling this is just the start of Democrats in Congress wanting to see Gibbs hit the unemployment line. I wonder if anyone at the White House will listen?

The Senate's longest serving member, Robert Byrd, died this morning at the age of 92. This really isn't a big shocker. Byrd's health has been deteriorating for years and given his age, it was pretty much expected that this was coming after the news of his serious condition yesterday.

As far as a replacement for Byrd, well Nate Silver points out the timing on this. It looks like there will be a special election. If Byrd would have held on one more week, then the governor would have been able to appoint a replacement.

And then there's the big question - the fate of financial reform. That's pretty much uncertain now that the Democrats have one less vote. My guess is that it will be gutted even further to bring on Snowe or Collins.

First we had some anonymous White House official blasting labor for supporting Bill Halter in the Arkansas Democratic Primary. Now we got some other senior Democrat doing the same. From Sam Stein:

Another senior Democrat (who also would not be quoted by name) echoed the point in an exchange with the Huffington Post. "Labor is humiliated," the source said. "$10 million flushed down the toilet at a time when Democrats across the country are fighting for their lives, they look like absolute idiots."

This is nothing but the kind of "inside the beltway" thinking that Americans are tired of. It also seems like there's a general tone being struck here. Compare the above statement to the one from last night:

"Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toiled on a pointless exercise," the official said. "If even half that total had been well-targeted and applied in key House races across this country, that could have made a real difference in November."

There is one similarity that keeps sticking out at me - November. It sounds like the beltway gang is preparing to scapegoat labor for any losses in November.

Another meme is also being struck here. On Morning Joe this morning, Mark Whitaker was saying that labor backing other candidates shows that Obama is not in charge of the Democratic Party. Well that assessment is totally ass backwards. As the AFL-CIO stated last night, they are not part of the Democratic Party.

The lowest tax levels since 1950?

Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found.

Some conservative political movements such as the "Tea Party" have criticized federal spending as being out of control. While spending is up, taxes have fallen to exceptionally low levels.

Federal, state and local taxes — including income, property, sales and other taxes — consumed 9.2% of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. That rate is far below the historic average of 12% for the last half-century. The overall tax burden hit bottom in December at 8.8.% of income before rising slightly in the first three months of 2010.

So go ahead baggers and protest the Democrats and their “high taxes”. And let’s have the Republicans out there saying “the Republican Party will lower your taxes”. We all know the truth that historically the party that has raised taxes is the Republican Party, unless you happen to be in that top 2% of the economic wealth of our nation. Of course most of those people are out there saying they should be paying more in taxes.