Think Progress

• CNN?s Crowley Suggests Democrats Debated Afghanistan Exit Strategy To ?Make T...
  Today, the House of Representatives is debating H. Con Res. 248, a privileged resolution brought to the floor by Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Walter Jones (R-NC), and others that required Congress to debate whether or not to continue the war in Afghanistan. During one point in the debate, Rep. ...
  
• Six Democrats Side With Banks, Ask For ?Alternative? To Landmark Student Lend...
  One of the greatest hardships facing America’s college students is student debt; the average student in the class of 2008 graduated with $23,000 of debt, “a figure 25 percent higher than what their older brothers and sisters owed when they graduated from college in 2004.” To tackle this student d...
  
• Ignoring His Own Votes, Bond Claims Reconciliation ?Cannot? Be Used For ?Majo...
  Repeating conservative lies about reconciliation, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell today that reconciliation for health care reform “procedurally cannot be done.” Claiming it was never used for major legislation without “overwhelming bipartisan support,” Bond predicted the Senate...
  
• Health Insurance Lobby Leaves The Door Open To Supporting A GOP Repeal Of Hea...
  America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the lobbying juggernaut for the health insurance industry, hosted its annual conference at the Ritz Carlton this week. As a vote on health legislation nears, the industry announced yesterday that it is funding a new round of national ads aimed at killing r...
  
• Even Though Bush Used False WMD Claims To Justify Iraq War, Rove Claims They ...
  In his book that was released this week, former top Bush aide Karl Rove claimed that President Bush would not have authorized an invasion of Iraq in 2003 if he had known Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. ?Would the Iraq War have occurred without W.M.D.? I doubt it,? Rove wr...
  
• Limbaugh Now Says He Won?t Move To Costa Rica ? Will Just Go There To Use Its...
  On Monday, hate radio host Rush Limbaugh pledged to leave the country and go to Costa Rica if Congress successfully passes and implements its health care legislation. Yesterday, Limbaugh claimed that he never said he’d leave the country. The host explained that what he meant was that he would go ...
  
• American Petroleum Institute Uses Stock Photos Of ?Americans? To Defend Oil S...
  Big Oil is using fake “Americans” to defend billions in tax subsidies. The American Petroleum Institute is running full-page ads in Politico and Roll Call that attack Congress for “new energy taxes”: Congress will likely consider new taxes on America’s oil and natural gas industry. These new ener...
  
• Archidioscese responds to controversy over its decision to kick children with...
  Last week, officials “at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, acting at the direction of the Archdiocese of Denver,” decided to not re-enroll two unnamed children because their parents were lesbians. Following fierce protests of the decision, the Archbishop of Denver has written an op-ed where ...
  
• ?Jihad Jane? Undermines Right-Wing Calls For Profiling Based On The Myth That...
  Since the Ft. Hood shooting and the failed Christmas Day terror attack, some on the right have stepped up their calls for ethnic ?profiling? and ?discrimination,” with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich saying the Obama administration is more interested in ?protecting the rights of terrorists? th...
  
• Netanyahu Apologizes For Settlements News, Despite Recently Appearing With Pr...
  On Monday, the day Vice-President Joe Biden was to arrive in Israel, the Israeli government announced approval for 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, despite having agreed in November to curb settlement growth in partial fulfillme...
  

Daily Kos
State of the Nation

• No Curbs for 'Radical Experiment'?
  

  Shielding Americans from banksters and likeminded rip-off artists is only one small piece of needed financial reform. Out-of-control executive compensation, overly large financial institutions, insane derivatives trading, a Federal Reserve System apparently incapable of basic regulatory enforceme...

  
  
• Beck on his narrative malfunction: It's all Massa's fault
  

  So Glenn Beck is trying to paper over his dimwitted, overly-credulous embrace of Eric Massa's conspiracy claims by...blaming Massa.

  On his radio show today, Glenn Beck lit into former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) for his disastrous, rambling appearance on the Tuesday episode of Beck’s Fox News Show...

  
  
• House Republicans Repudiate Michael Steele
  

  The Party of No finally found something to say yes to:

  The House passed legislation Wednesday that would ban misleading mailings designed to appear they're from the Census Bureau, following criticism that Republican groups were sending fundraising letters using the census name.  [...]

  The legi...

  
  
• Late Afternoon/Early Evening Open Thread
  

  Gaywatch, Virginia edition:

  
  

  
  
• Forty-One Pro-Choice Republican Senators
  

  Boy, Republicans will go to any length to maintain their status as the Party of No:

  All 41 Republican Senators vowed in a letter today to do everything in their power to kill Democrats' health care legislation and vote en bloc against procedural motions Democrats want to use to fix the health r...

  
  
• AR-01: Huge GOP recruitment fail
  

  Whoa:

  Arkansas' filing deadline passed Monday afternoon and while Republicans made a lot of noise about their chances in the 1st district in the days after Rep. Marion Berry (D) announced his retirement, all the sound and fury may have actually signified nothing....
  In the end, the only Republi...

  
  
• Reid Says Filibuster Reform Will Happen
  

  Speaking at a Progressive Media Summit held by the Senate Democratic caucus today, Harry Reid said that the Senate is "likely going to have to make changes to the filibuster" in the next Congress. Analogizing the filibuster to the spit ball and the four-corner offense in basketball--which were bo...

  
  
• CA-Gov: Meg Whitman's Press Strategy for 2010
  

  During the Winter Olympiad out here in California, it became obvious that a big part of Meg Whitman's strategy for getting elected Governor of California was going to be flooding the zone with ads, drowning out her opponents with her burgeoning bankbook.

  Yesterday, Californians got another insig...

  
  
• Midday open thread
  Progressive groups and labor gear up for last pro-health care reform ad blitz, to counter corporate opponents.

  Details are still being worked out, and it’s always possible that plans could change. But officials involved in the discussions expect to match or come close to matching the push coming...

  
  
• Rasmussen flooding the zone
  

  Look at these governor numbers:

  COLORADO:

           Hickenlooper (D)  McInnis (R)
  Rasmussen:      42           48
  PPP:            50           39

  
  OHIO:

            Strickland (D)    Kasich (R)
  Rasmussen:      38           49
  Quinnipiac:     44           39

  
  ILLINOIS:

              Quinn (D)   ...

  
  

POLITICO Top Stories
Breaking News & POLITICO Picks

• Pelosi aide knew Massa concerns in Oct
  Her office took no action after learning of concerns last year, sources say.
  
• Obama presses Reid to cut special deals from health bill
  President wants Senate leader to strike narrow provisions from reform legislation.
  
• Reid: Reform filibuster next year
  Senate Democrats seek to inject fresh momentum into efforts to overhaul the filibuster.
  
• Cheney allies: Critics are 'prissy'
  Her supporters dismiss concerns on left, right that her organization's attack on DoJ is out-of-bounds.
  
• Face-off: Sebelius confronts insurers
  She offers audience a litany of insurance horror stories, and gets a chilly response.
  
• House rejects forced troop withdrawal
  The 356-65 win gives new momentum to the W.H. before a more difficult vote over new war funding.
  
• Dems: No thanks to new 'Gang of 14'
  Moderates scoff at Graham's offer to form a coalition to avoid reconciliation.
  
• GOP backs broad earmarks ban
  GOP-ers claim that the earmark process has become a symbol of a 'broken Washington.'
  
• Issa raises questions on Sestak
  GOP Rep says Sestak claims of W.H. job offer may have crossed the line, if true.
  
• Jersey Dems blast tea party
  The state chairman rips their bid to recall Menendez, saying it's because of the senator's ''last name.''