NewsTrust - Democratic Party - Most Recent Stories

On the Hill: Legislative Pileup Looms in the Senate

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Carl Hulse - Nov. 21 (News Analysis) - While Republicans dispute that they are pure obstructionists, there is evidence to suggest that they are using their procedural power to slow even legislation and nominations that they know they have no chance of blocking. And in some cases, many Republicans do not truly expect to prevail.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Colo. to review taxpayer-paid lobbyists practice

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Associated Press - By Steven K. Paulson - Nov. 21 (News Report) - At a time of budget cuts, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's administration last year paid employees and outside contractors $1.1 million to lobby Colorado lawmakers on legislation ranging from renewable energy tax credits to increasing motor vehicle license fees. The administration and legislators are reviewing the long-standing practice of one branch of government lobbying another — one that predates the Ritter administration — as Colorado tries to close a $1 billion budget gap.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What to watch for in today's debate

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Politico - By Chris Frates - Nov. 21 (News Analysis) - Nancy Pelosi did it. Can Harry Reid? Two Saturdays ago, Pelosi passed health reform on a squeaker of a House vote. Today, Reid can’t spare a single Democrat as the Senate decides whether to start debate. If not, President Barack Obama’s reform hopes suffer immeasurable harm.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Easy Choices

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

OurFuture.org - By Terrance Heath - Nov. 20 (Opinion) - I'll say it again. Whether it's Sarah Palin's self-serving contradictions, or Democrats' and Republicans' cynical political compromises, in the realm of politics, the choices we make for others are the truly easy choices.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

State Democrats facing revolt by labor

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Seattle Times - By Andrew Garber - Nov. 14 (News Report) - The Washington State Labor Council, the Service Employees International Union and unions representing teachers and state workers have either stopped or sharply reduced donations to Democratic caucus political-action committees that back candidates for the state House and Senate.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What the Gay Boycott of the DNC Can Do

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Emma Ruby-Sachs - Nov. 10 (Opinion) - There is a gay boycott of the Democratic Party afoot, and it has the potential to turn into something that leads to real change in American politics. I'm not selling hope here, but I can't help but feel it when I see the momentum gathering behind AMERICAblog's "Don't Ask, Don't Give" campaign.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Five Senators To Watch On Health Care

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Real Clear Politics - By Kyle Trygstad, Mike Memoli - Nov. 10 (Opinion) - With 60 Democrats in the Senate, the party has enough votes to pass any bill it pleases -- but that total includes two independents that caucus with the party and leaves no room for error. The tight margin is on display once again as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) searches for enough support to both bring health care reform up for a vote and actually pass it.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Why Are the Loudest Political Voices the Most Extreme?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

ABC News - By Lee Dye - Nov. 09 (Opinion) - Those bombastic self-appointed spokespersons who rant from both the political right and left are likely driven by the conviction that their extreme views are shared by the majority of the members of their political party, but they are probably wrong, according to new research.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Is this the high-water mark for ObamaCare?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Hot Air - By Ed Morrissey - Nov. 08 (Opinion) - The Democrats wheedled, cajoled, begged, and finally abandoned its defense of abortion — truly a watershed moment — in order to get their version of ObamaCare passed … in the House of Representatives, where they enjoy a 75-seat majority. In the end, they could only muster a five-vote win on Nancy Pelosi’s bill out of that strong majority. Until this week, most had assumed that any ObamaCare bill would pass the House easily, but that the fight would be in the Senate.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

House Democrats Who Voted Against the Health Care Bill - Interactive Graphic

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - Nov. 08 (News Analysis) - Detailed table profiling the 39 Democrats who voted against a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Lawmakers in the House voted 220 to 215 on Saturday night to approve a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Only one Republican voted for the bill, and 39 Democrats opposed it, including 24 members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition. An overwhelming majority of the Democratic lawmakers who opposed the bill — 31 of the 39 — represent districts that were won by Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, in the 2008 presidential election, and a third of them were freshmen. Nearly all of the fourteen freshmen Democrats who voted “no” represent districts that were previously Republican and are considered vulnerable in 2010. Geographically, 22 lawmakers from southern states formed the largest opposition bloc. Below are details on the Democrats that opposed the health care legislation in the House.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By David M. Herszenhorn, Jackie Calmes - Nov. 08 (News Analysis) - Through the 1980s, the Democrats struggled over abortion. But by the 1990s, the share of Americans supportive of abortion rights had grown. Democrats lost their majorities for 12 years, leaving the most liberal and pro-abortion rights members in office. As a result it seemed to fade as a public issue. Now, however, Democrats once again have a large and diverse House majority, with more members from conservative-leaning districts where anti-abortion rights groups are active.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Obama Faces His Anzio

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Paul Krugman - Nov. 06 (Opinion) - President Obama chose a cautious approach rather than bold action on the economy, and the decision may haunt Democrats for years to come.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Hark! The Voters Speak!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Gail Collins - Nov. 05 (Opinion) - Endorsements don’t work if they’re oblique and half-hearted, as if they had been sent via Candygram.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Contests serve as warning to Democrats: It's not 2008 anymore

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Washington Post - By Dan Balz - Nov. 04 (News Analysis) - Off-year elections can be notoriously unreliable as predictors of the future, but as a window on how the political landscape may have changed in the year since President Obama won the White House, Tuesday's Republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey delivered clear warnings for the Democrats.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Christie Unseats Corzine in New Jersey; Bloomberg Wins a Third Term as Mayor

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Michael M. Grynbaum - Nov. 04 (News Report) - Christopher J. Christie, a Republican former United States attorney who said he would vanquish corruption from the halls of New Jersey government, won the New Jersey governor’s race on Tuesday, defeating the incumbent, Gov. Jon S. Corzine, and striking a blow against the Democratic party on a national stage. Mr. Christie, who accused Mr. Corzine of leading the state into economic turmoil, had nearly half of the vote to Mr. Corzine’s 44 percent, with more than 80 percent of precincts reporting. Mr. Christie’s victory ended a bruising and bitterly fought race that often descended into personal attacks by both candidates. Although the campaign focused mainly on local issues, including a statewide corruption scandal, Republicans across the country were quick to portray Mr. Christie’s win as a defeat for President Obama. The White House invested heavily in the New Jersey contest, a tacit acknowledgment that a defeat for Mr. Corzine would be interpreted as a rebuke of Mr. Obama, potentially affecting the president’s ability to pass major legislation and the public’s perceptions of the Democratic influence. Republicans already captured the night’s other major gubernatorial race in Virginia, where Robert F. McDonnell, a former state attorney general, defeated the Democratic candidate, R. Creigh Deeds, a stark reversal of fortune for Democrats who have held control in Richmond for the past eight years.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

It Doesn't Mean Squat