He was considered anathema to progressives; the most conservative member of the Republican Party. The time was the 1960s, and his name was William
Category: Senate
Playing chicken with the debt ceiling: So dangerous, even Reagan wouldn’t go there
$18.9 billion. That’s what the 2011 debt-limit standoff and the threatened U.S. credit default will be costing taxpayers in higher interest payments over the
Corporate pork: the secret ingredient in the fiscal-cliff recipe
Once upon a time, a President or Congressional leader trying to get a bill passed would use earmarks—also known as “pork”—to buy votes from
Lame duck imperative: Violence Against Women Act set to expire at end of December
Time is running out on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Set to expire at the end of December, VAWA might become the second
10 almost-certain predictions for 2013
1. No team will win hockey’s Stanley Cup because the season will be completely wiped out. As frequently is the case, it will be
To limit filibusters, invoke NFL challenge rule
As a number of pundits, such as John Nichols of The Nation are saying, we need to reform the filibuster system in the U.S.
Advice to freshman Senators: Keep a low profile
Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” truly insulted me and most of his viewers recently. He asked us to leave to room,
Lame-duck history, Part 2: 1974 – 2012
As we approach the lame duck session of the 111th Congress, we can learn a lot from how previous Congresses dealt with this challenging
Lame-duck history, Part 1: 1940-1970
With the presidential election over and quite satisfying results for most progressives, the next step in our political process is for the present (111th)
Arlen Specter, part of a vanishing breed
It’s somewhat like evolution – eventually a certain species just dies away. Perhaps the specie that former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter was most like