Today’s Tea Party may be more like the revolutionary version than I thought
by David Safier Was the original Tea Party, the one that threw 90,000 pounds of British tea in the Boston Harbor in 1773, actually a ploy by merchants who were smuggling Dutch tea into the colonies to preserve their profits? If so, today's Tea Partiers, who are so often doing the bidding of the business-friendly … Read more
Cloture invoked in debate of New START treaty
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: One by one, Republican senators have been breaking ranks with their Senate leadership — Mitch McConnell and Jon Kyl — and announcing their support for the New START treaty. A vote to invoke cloture of debate passed today by the critical two-thirds vote that will be needed for final passage, 67-28. New arms treaty … Read more
Pearce makes hay before the session starts
by David Safier Q: How much does an 800 pound gorilla charge for access? A: Anything he wants. In Russell Pearce's case, the charge for access — for now, anyway — is $250 a head. That's the cost of attending a fundraising event January 7. Of course, that's only the suggested donation. Anyone can give … Read more
Despicable Doctor Coburn blocking 9/11 first responders bill
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: How is it possible that Sen. Tom Coburn is a medical doctor? This is the same guy who told a weeping woman, obviously emotionally exhausted from being a home health care provider for her husband who suffered a traumatic brain injury, during a health care town hall that her neighbors should help … Read more
It’s official – Arizona will gain a seat in Congress in 2012
by Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings Confirming something that was already widely expected, as a result of the 2010 Census Arizona will gain a 9th seat in the U.S. Congress. The new apportionment map is here (state numbers only; actual districts will be mapped out in the coming year.) Having 9 seats in the … Read more
Foreclosuregate Update: Nevada, Arizona Sue Bank of America
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: On Friday, the attorneys general of Arizona and Nevada filed a lawsuit against Bank of America, accusing it of engaging in “widespread fraud” by misleading customers with “false promises” about their eligibility for modifications on their home mortgages. Arizona and Nevada Accuse Bank of America of Fraud – NYTimes.com: In withering complaints … Read more
Food Safety Act rescued from defeat, headed for passage
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Last week when Sen. John McCain was yucking it up on the Senate floor about killing the omnibus spending bill, ostensibly because it contained "budget-busting" earmarks (actually less than 1% of the omnibus spending bill), much of the mainstream media's infatuation with this bogus earmarks crusade over the years led them to … Read more
