Recently, I put forth the "Iron Law of Birtherism," which simply notes that the Obama citizenship denial movement is strongest in precisely those states where Republicans poll best and health care is worst. Now, a new study again confirms red state birtherism is literal, revealing that the most faithfully religious - and Republican - states […]

With his seriously compromised and deeply flawed legislation, Senator Max Baucus has achieved rare bipartisan consensus on health care: virtually everyone from both parties hates his bill. But with his feeble acknowledgement that despite all of his kowtowing to his GOP colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee "no Republican has offered his or her support […]

On September 15th, 2008, the Dow Jones plummeted by 504 points as the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers triggered the implosion of Wall Street. And on that day a year ago, Republican presidential candidate John McCain declared the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." But while Ben Bernanke today declared the Bush recession "very likely over" […]

Even as the watered down health care reform legislation from the Senate Finance Committee is finally being delivered to growing concerns, a new study is shining a spotlight on questions the Baucus bill fails to address. Following an analysis from PriceWaterhouseCoopers earlier this year, the survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation confirms American employers are […]

Back in April, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart offered some sound advice for frothing at the mouth Tea Baggers, "I think you might be confusing tyranny with losing." Now five months after their Tax Day outburst, thousands of vein-popping Obama opponents descended Saturday on Washington for Tea Party II. But while Glenn Beck's furious followers […]

Among the most disturbing legacies of the horrific Al Qaeda attacks on the United States 8 years ago has been the appropriation of September 11 by Republicans as just another arrow in their quiver of partisan warfare. Former New York Governor George Pataki used the anniversary to attack the Justice Department's limited probe of CIA […]

When the GOP trotted out the hapless Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) to deliver the response to President Obama, the former cardiologist became just the latest Republican physician deployed to halt health care reform. As it turns out, the repentant Birther was an unfortunate choice to carry the GOP banner of tort reform, given his own […]

As President Obama's make-or-break health care speech to Congress approaches, the focus of media tea leaf readers is on what specifically he will say. Will the President overcome his marketing failures to date and commit his political capital to a reform plan? Will he draw a line in the sand on the public option, viewed […]

On Monday, the AP portrayed President Obama's struggle to pass health care reform as the second coming of George W. Bush's unpopular and ultimately disastrous attempt to privatize Social Security. But while man each left the bill crafting to Congress and faced a growing backlash from frightened American seniors, the parallels end there. Democratic health […]

In response to the manufactured outrage over President Obama's planned address Tuesday to America's schoolchildren, the White House as promised has released portions of the text of the speech in advance. Here are excerpts from President Obama's prepared remarks: Preliminary Excerpt of the President's September 8 Address to America's Schoolchildren* For Immediate Release September 6, […]