It's a waste of time to compromise with Republicans. The Lame Duck Congress must prove it's not lame. The House must pass the repeal of the Bush Tax Cuts for the top two percent and the Senate should use reconciliation to avoid a filibuster. The Bush Tax Cuts were originally passed via reconciliation.

The savings from the cuts' repeal could then be used as pay-go for extending unemployment benefits. I don't know if the unemployment benefit extension is deem and pass eligible, but linking them to the repeal may mean reconciliation is a legal tactic.

I hear little talk in the liberal media and blogosphere and zero from the Obama administration and elected officials, about using reconciliation to permit the upper income cuts' expiration.

The cuts will be extended if deem and pass isn't employed. The Republicans will definitely filibuster any legislation that doesn't extend the cuts, if not make them permanent and the Democrats will cave in the game of chicken over the extensions of the middle class tax cuts. The President's "I didn't reach across the aisle enough" comment foreshadows Democratic wimpdom on the cuts.  read more »

Harold Ford jr.'s run for Senate is dead...

"A penny for the old guy"

Hillary Clinton, the very accomplished, brilliant wife of a very popular President, moved to New York to run for the Senate. She was widely criticized initially as a "carpetbagger," but in the end won our confidence and won her Senate seat. Hillary is an exceptional person and NY State appreciates exceptional people even if they come from elsewhere. Even though it didn't pass Congress (due to the exact same Democratic divisions and Republican obstructionism we are seeing now), I think many appreciated her efforts and recognized her Healthcare plan as something America sure could have used.

Harold Ford, jr., the failed Senate candidate from Tennessee and Wall Street fat cat, somehow convinced himself he was as exceptional a person and Hillary Clinton and thought he could follow in her footsteps. Moving from Tennessee he thought he could waltz into the Senate, banking on dissatisfaction with so-far only appointed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.  read more »

This year is the year Democrats are fighting in every district, every state, every corner of the nation. This year there are almost no red states left. Recent gains in places like Montana and Virgina, and near wins in Idaho and Wyoming all point to a resurgence of the Democratic Party. Well, I want to introduce someone who is taking this resurgence into Oklahoma. Andrew Rice, a State Senator in Oklahoma, is running for US Senate. And he wants to meet you and make his case.

An invitation to New Yorkers from Andrew Rice's campaign:

I just wanted to remind you that I'll be in New York this Thursday, February 7th, for a fundraising reception for my U.S. Senate campaign.

I lived and worked in New York for several years, and I'm looking forward to being back. I hope you'll join me and a few of my friends for a night of fun and politics. I'd love to tell you about how I plan to defeat one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate, Jim Inhofe, and pick up a Democratic seat.

Turn Oklahoma (and America) Blue
Fundraising Party for State Senator Andrew Rice  read more »

If you've read Corinne's liveblog of yesterday's Marketplace of Ideas Event on fighting against predatory mortgage lending then you know there was some really interesting discussion.

Now you can watch video clips from it too.

Senator Schumer announces his new lending bill:

and Councilman James Sander's responds to Mayor Bloomberg's assertion that the government can not address the mortgage loan crisis: