CIA Hearings Open a Window of Opportunity CIA Hearings Open a Window of Opportunity
Congress has many options to counter the Obama Doctrine, including revising the 1973 War Powers Resolution and 2011 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
Feb 13, 2013 / Tom Hayden
America Isn’t Broke. Its Priorities Are. America Isn’t Broke. Its Priorities Are.
In his State of the Union address, the president reminded us that “deficit reduction is not an economic plan.” Will he be able to hold off the austerity-mongerers?
Feb 13, 2013 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
Obama’s SOTU: Not So Stirring on Foreign Policy Obama’s SOTU: Not So Stirring on Foreign Policy
Drones, threats to Iran, praise for Israel, and a too-slow drawdown in Afghanistan.
Feb 13, 2013 / Bob Dreyfuss
Obama Urges Minimum Wage Increase and First-Ever Indexing Obama Urges Minimum Wage Increase and First-Ever Indexing
Labor welcomed the proposal, but what it means for tipped workers remains unclear.
Feb 13, 2013 / Josh Eidelson
Rubio’s Lies About Healthcare Reform Rubio’s Lies About Healthcare Reform
In his rebuttal to the State of the Union Address, the Tea Party star failed to make his case that healthcare reform was harmful.
Feb 13, 2013 / George Zornick
What Obama Didn’t Say on Immigration at the State of the Union What Obama Didn’t Say on Immigration at the State of the Union
Some undocumented immigrants expected more on immigration from Obama’s State of the Nation speech.
Feb 13, 2013 / Aura Bogado
Obama Demands That Congress Do ‘the Work of Self-Government’ Obama Demands That Congress Do ‘the Work of Self-Government’
The emotional highpoint of a bold and progressive speech was a demand that Congress address gun violence.
Feb 13, 2013 / John Nichols
Obama Appoints a Controversial GOP Lawyer to His Voting Commission Obama Appoints a Controversial GOP Lawyer to His Voting Commission
President Obama embraced the cause of voting rights in his State of the Union speech, which he called “our most fundamental right as citizens,” and spotlighted 102-year-old Desiline Victor, a naturalized Haitian immigrant from Miami who waited three hours—and had to make two trips—to cast a ballot. He also proposed a new voting commission headed by lawyers from the Obama and Romney campaigns. Here’s what Obama said: We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any American—no matter where they live or what their party—are denied that right because they can’t afford to wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. So, tonight, I’m announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America, and it definitely needs improvement. I’m asking two longtime experts in the field, who, by the way, served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney’s campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy. Unfortunately, Obama’s solution was less than inspiring. Another election commission is a pretty tepid response to the magnitude of the voting problems we face. And Romney campaign lawyer Ben Ginsberg is a puzzling choice to be its co-chair. For over two decades, Ginsberg has been a top lawyer for the Republican Party—the same party, you may recall, that has led the effort to restrict voting rights of late. Ginsberg helped lead the 2000 recount effort for George W. Bush. He was forced to resign from the Bush campaign in 2004 after it was revealed that he was also advising the vile Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In 2006, Ginsberg said, “Just like really with the Voting Rights Act, Republicans have some fundamental philosophical difficulties with the whole notion of Equal Protection.” And in 2012, he was counsel to the Romney campaign when it absurdly claimed that the Obama campaign was trying to suppress military voters by pushing for early voting for all Ohioans. Does that sound like the kind of guy you want leading a “non-partisan” voting commission? More than likely, this commission will go nowhere. After all, commissions in Washington tend to be where good ideas go to die. Following the 2000 election, the Help America Vote Act created the Election Assistance Commission to help states run their elections. It’s become the “zombie voting commission,” according to The Washington Post; it has no commissioners, executive director or general counsel, and hasn’t met publicly since 2011. Republicans have repeatedly blocked the appointment of new commissioners and tried to abolish the agency; Democrats have done little to resurrect it. There’s not much the Obama administration can do on election reform without Congress. So here’s a modest proposal: before Congress tries to pass sweeping election reform, how about taking the baby step of getting its own election commission back up and running? And hopefully Obama, in exchange for appointing Ginsberg to his voting commission, can extract a promise from the GOP lawyer to support the expansion, not restriction, of voting rights. UPDATE: Voting rights groups appear split on the voting commission. The Brennan Center for Justice called it "an important step, focusing on improving the experience of voters." But the normally mild-mannered League of Women Voters sharply criticized the idea: "we were surprised and disappointed that the President did not suggest bold action to ensure that every American citizen can exercise the right to vote. Setting up a commission is not a bold step; it is business as usual. The President could have done much better by pointing to real solutions like that in legislation already introduced on Capitol Hill to require early voting, set limits on waiting times, provide for portable voter registration and set up secure online voter registration.”
Feb 13, 2013 / Ari Berman
Greek Factory Under Workers Control Greek Factory Under Workers Control
Greek workers are trying to kick-start production at a dormant factory and prove themselves a viable new model.
Feb 13, 2013 / Peter Rothberg
Major Climate Change Bill Coming to the Senate Major Climate Change Bill Coming to the Senate
Only an hour before President Obama is expected to deliver his State of the Union address—in which he might “go big” on the issue of combating climate change—two Senators announced they will introduce comprehensive climate change legislation this week, presenting a possible vehicle in the Senate for Obama’s ambitions. Senators Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer will outline the legislation on Thursday morning. Details are scant, though it’s being billed as “major” and “comprehensive” legislation, and will have a carbon tax, per a statement from Sanders’s office: Under the legislation, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices. Boxer is the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, so this is not a fringe effort by any means. And some heavy environmental and institutional groups will be on hand Thursday, including Bill McKibben of 350.org and representatives from the Center for American Progress, Sierra Club, Public Citizen, and the National Community Action Foundation. We reported last month that Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Henry Waxman launched a Congressional task force, which aims to push the executive branch on new regulations, and to serve as a laboratory for new legislation—and while it’s not clear if Boxer is acting through this working group, the legislation is clearly ready to go. TAKE ACTION: Stop the Keystone Pipeline.
Feb 13, 2013 / George Zornick