New Year, New Abortion Restrictions

New Year, New Abortion Restrictions
"In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell's is trying to avoid a repeat of the transvaginal ultrasound fiasco by certifying the state's latest anti-abortion regulations under the radar."

Noam Chomsky: The Gravest Threat to World Peace

Noam Chomsky: The Gravest Threat to World Peace
"Americans can hardly be aware of how diplomacy has once again failed, for a simple reason: Virtually nothing is reported in the United States about the fate of the most obvious way to address "the gravest threat" – Establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East."

Battles of the Budget and a War Between the Classes | Common Dreams

Battles of the Budget and a War Between the Classes | Common Dreams
"For the reality is that our two major political parties are engaged in a fierce struggle over the future shape of American society. Democrats want to preserve the legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — and add to them what every other advanced country has: a more or less universal guarantee of essential health care. Republicans want to roll all of that back, making room for drastically lower taxes on the wealthy. Yes, it’s essentially a class war."

The Dangerous Link Between Lead Emissions And Crime Rates

The Dangerous Link Between Lead Emissions And Crime Rates: From 1960 to the early 1990s, the rate of violent crime in the U.S. rocketed from 150 to 750 per 100,000 people. Then it dropped just as precipitously, falling below 450 per 100,000 by 2009. A host of theories were been put forward to explain the turnaround: New crime fighting practices, economic booms and slumps, [...]/p

Fiscal Cliff Deal Cuts Farm Programs Designed To Help Minorities, Small Farms, And The Environment

Fiscal Cliff Deal Cuts Farm Programs Designed To Help Minorities, Small Farms, And The Environment: Targeted programs for minorities, new farmers, and the environment have been removed from the U.S. Farm Bill as a consequence of significant, under-reported cuts in the deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff.” While the deal extended some key Farm Bill provisions, one of which will prevent milk prices from skyrocketing, Senate Minority Leader Mitch [...]/p

The Case Against Billionaires

The Case Against Billionaires
"It’s because billionaires are not job creators, they are somewhere between symbiotes and parasites. That’s not meant as a personal insult against billionaires, many of whom are decent people. But it’s meant as a statement of common sense. If vast fortunes are being hoarded in the hands of very few people who can’t possibly spend that much money in their lifetime or their kid’s lifetime or even their kid’s, kid’s, kid’s, kid’s, lifetime, then it’s essentially being wasted."

The Final Failure of a Failed Congress

The Final Failure of a Failed Congress
"The sun will rise on Thursday morning to shine down upon the end of the 112th Congress, the single most useless do-nothing  assembly of fools and failures in modern American political history. Boehner and his crew of cretins in the House majority are almost singlehandedly responsible for the anemic economic recovery to date, entirely because they decided to sit on their hands rather than do anything - anything! - that might come within a country mile of helping President Obama win re-election.

They sat on a variety of jobs bills. They killed a minimum wage increase. They killed the Buffett Rule, which would have set an infinitesimal tax on millionaires, a bill supported by a huge majority of Americans. Along the way, they killed a bill to provide more transparency in campaign financing. They killed a bill to protect the rights of the disabled because, somehow, they decided it would lead to a takeover of America by the United Nations...and, in one last vile act, they failed to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that was approved in the Senate by a 2-1 margin back in April."

The Battle for 2014 Begins on Day One in the Senate

For a few hours on Thursday, when the new Senate comes into session, Majority Leader Harry Reid will have a chance to help the Democrats re-take the House of Representatives in 2014, and hold the Senate. He can do that by simply reforming - genuinely reforming - the filibuster. In doing so, he will not only put an end to years of rampant Republican obstructionism in the upper chamber, but also significantly slow down the billionaire-funded Tea Party.

General Motors Tripled Sales Of Chevy Volt In 2012, Selling One Million Vehicles Over 30 MPG

General Motors Tripled Sales Of Chevy Volt In 2012, Selling One Million Vehicles Over 30 MPG: General Motors had a record-breaking year for fuel-efficient autos in 2012. The company became the first American auto manufacturer to sell more than one million vehicles with a 30-mpg fuel rating. And due to a surge in demand from Califorina, GM tripled sales of its electric model, the Chevy Volt. Motor Trend reported on the [...]/p

PERRspectives: GOP Extortionists Admit Not Raising Debt Ceiling Means "Financial Collapse and Calamity"

PERRspectives: GOP Extortionists Admit Not Raising Debt Ceiling Means "Financial Collapse and Calamity"
Former Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has a term for those of his Republican colleagues willing to shoot the hostage, that is, the U.S. economy. As he worried in April 2011:

"The people who are threatening not to pass the debt ceiling are our version of al Qaeda terrorists. Really. They're really putting our whole society at risk by threatening to round up 50 percent of the members of the Congress, who are loony, who would put our credit at risk."

With Millions Still Waiting For Sandy Relief, Republicans Reintroduce Obamacare Repeal

With Millions Still Waiting For Sandy Relief, Republicans Reintroduce Obamacare Repeal: The 112th Congress gaveled to a close on Thursday afternoon without passing a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy or reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, but Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) isn’t too concerned about finishing what Republicans had left undone. Instead, at 12:00 PM she introduced the very first piece of legislation to [...]/p

The US Has Averaged More Than 18 Gun Deaths Every Day Since the Newtown School Shooting | Alternet

The US Has Averaged More Than 18 Gun Deaths Every Day Since the Newtown School Shooting | Alternet
"There have been more than 400 guns deaths since the Newtown massacre on December 14, according to a new interactive projectbetween Slate.com and the anonymous twitter user @gundeaths."

Chris Christie, Spare Us Your Anti-GOP Theatrics -- You're Still a Republican | Alternet

Chris Christie, Spare Us Your Anti-GOP Theatrics -- You're Still a Republican | Alternet
"Spare me, Chris Christie. The New Jersey governor  delighted political reporters with his theatrical excoriation of the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives after Speaker John Boehner refused to allow a bill funding aid for people affected by Hurricane Sandy to come to the floor for a vote this week.

This would be the same Christie who, in September 2012, headlined  a fundraiser for Iowa congressman Steve King, who is not just one of the craziest members of the GOP crazy wing, but who also  announced a month later that he probably wouldn’t vote for relief money for Sandy victims for the same reason he refused to vote for federal aid for victims of Hurricane Katrina: Because he was pretty sure people spent the relief money on “Gucci bags and massage parlors.” This is a man Christie wanted to win reelection, in order to help Republicans maintain control of the House of Representatives, so that they could continue ignoring the priorities and desperate needs of liberal, urban coastal states like New Jersey."

Ten People We Are Grateful Are No Longer Members Of Congress

Ten People We Are Grateful Are No Longer Members Of Congress: Under the Twentieth Amendment, “[t]he terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January.” Accordingly, as of this very moment, many members of 112th Congress are now unemployed. Here are ten that [...]/p

12 Biggest Right-Wing Lies About America | Alternet

12 Biggest Right-Wing Lies About America | Alternet
"Our nation was gripped by so many fallacies and delusions in 2012 that the whole Mayan calendar end-of-the-world thing didn’t even make the list.

Even those apocalyptic prophecies were more plausible than the idea that cutting Social Security will help the deficit, that government spending cuts will jump-start the economy, there were no crimes on Wall Street, or that we live in a “divided nation” whose “center” wants more business as usual in Washington. Here then, without further ado, are our Top 12 Political Fallacies for 2012."

How Fox News Screwed the GOP | Alternet

How Fox News Screwed the GOP | Alternet
"From the farcical, underwhelming GOP primary that Fox News sponsored, through the general election campaign, it seemed that at every juncture where Romney suffered a major misstep, Fox misinformation hovered nearby. Again and again, Romney damaged his presidential hopes when he embraced the Fox News rhetoric; when he ran as the  Fox News candidate."

‘Armed Teacher Training Program’ Launches In 15 States

‘Armed Teacher Training Program’ Launches In 15 States: An Ohio gun owners’ group is launching an “Armed Teacher Training Program” to instruct teachers and school staff on how to shoot off firearms in the classroom. Perhaps at the outlandish suggestion of the National Rifle Association, who last month called for armed guards in every school as a response to the tragedy at Sandy [...]/p

The Latest Effort to Fix Election Results: Rig the Electoral College

The Latest Effort to Fix Election Results: Rig the Electoral College
"Republicans are not discussing changes to electoral allocation in solidly red states, but only in Democrat-leaning states whose congressional maps were recently gerrymandered to benefit the GOP -- and if these states allocated their electoral votes according to Congressional district the presidential race could have a similarly disparate outcome."

Debt Versus Democracy: A Battle for the Future

Debt Versus Democracy: A Battle for the Future
"The 99% are all debtors, whether they live in an indebted country or hold personal debts. We are all affected by the debt system. A global crisis calls for global debt resistance and an embrace of direct democracy. It is a logical progression for 15M and the Occupy movement to make.

The 1% is betting against our future. If we are to have a world that is humane and just, and, really, to have a world at all, we must act democratically in the present and open the space for radical imagination. It is a battle for the future, and the 99% must win."

Almost Half Of Federal Prisoners Held For Drug Crimes

Almost Half Of Federal Prisoners Held For Drug Crimes: These numbers reflect the impact of the aggressive U.S. “War on Drugs,” a major contributor to the United States’ standing as the number one jailer in the world. 

PERRspectives: The National Debt? Republicans Built That

PERRspectives: The National Debt? Republicans Built That
"President Bush added $5.1 trillion in red ink to the national ledger. But while the debt has grown by over $5 trillion during Obama's first term, less than $1 trillion can be attributed to new programs he put in place. The rest is the result of the tax revenue loss from the deep recession which began in December 2007 and the continuation of policies inherited from George W. Bush." (Reposted)

House GOP Fails to Act on Violence Against Women | Common Dreams

House GOP Fails to Act on Violence Against Women | Common Dreams
"Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Democratic point person on VAWA, condemned the House leadership in astatement calling the failure to take up and pass the Senate's "bipartisan and inclusive" VAWA bill "inexcusable"."

“Energy In Depth” – A Reporters’ Guide to Its Founding, Funding, and Flacks

“Energy In Depth” – A Reporters’ Guide to Its Founding, Funding, and Flacks
"What is Energy In Depth, really? EID describes itself as "a research, education and public outreach campaign focused on getting the facts out" about hydraulic fracturing, widely known as "fracking." It's a website created by a trade group for the gas industry -- the "Independent Petroleum Association of America"(IPAA) -- and a public relations firm."

U.S. Could Enact More Austerity Than European Countries In 2013

U.S. Could Enact More Austerity Than European Countries In 2013: Had the United States gone fully over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” it would have enacted policies that led to more austerity than the European debt crisis has caused across the Atlantic. Congress averted much of the fiscal cliff this week, while punting other parts to deadlines later in the year, but even without a full [...]/p

Fixing the Economy, A New Focus for Congress | Common Dreams

Fixing the Economy, A New Focus for Congress | Common Dreams
"Largely missing is any discussion of how to fix the economy, to make it work for working people once more. Just sustaining the faltering recovery won’t get it done. We’re still struggling with mass unemployment, declining wages and worsening inequality. Corporate profits now capture an all-time record percentage of the economy; workers’ wages have hit an all-time low. A little constriction, or a lot, won’t do anything to change that reality.
So how about a New Year’s resolution for Washington’s political class: Vow to focus on what can be done to fix the economy, rather than on how much to lacerate it."

PERRspectives: House GOP Budget Would Require $6 Trillion Debt Ceiling Hike

PERRspectives: House GOP Budget Would Require $6 Trillion Debt Ceiling Hike
"If nothing else, the right-wing temper tantrum over Tuesday's "fiscal cliff" agreement is rich with irony. After all, the "crisis" was never really about deficit reduction (which the expiration of the Bush tax cuts would have handled quite nicely) but the very real danger of slashing the national debt too fast and thus triggering an economic downturn in 2013. More pathetic still, the GOP's ersatz deficit hawks on Capitol Hill, always more concerned with shredding the social safety net than stemming the flow of red ink, voted overwhelmingly for Paul Ryan's House Republican budget which would require $6 trillion more in debt ceiling increases over the next decade."

Sean Hannity lost half his TV audience after the election

Sean Hannity lost half his TV audience after the election
"Conservative mouthpiece Sean Hannity lost about half of his TV audience in the weeks after the election while his colleague Bill O’Reilly’s viewership only dropped by about a third"

4 Painful Political Lessons from the Fiscal Cliff Debates | Alternet

4 Painful Political Lessons from the Fiscal Cliff Debates | Alternet
"Republicans don’t care about deficit reduction.  They care about protecting the wealthy (I told you this is stuff we knew) which worsens the deficit.  Their talking points suggest they want to cut spending, reduce entitlement s and shrink government, but for the most part—there are notable exceptions*—they don’t have actual proposals to do so."

The Bottom Line: A prescription for American healthcare

Chris Christie Rips House GOP For Blocking Sandy Relief: ‘Shame On You’

Chris Christie Rips House GOP For Blocking Sandy Relief: ‘Shame On You’: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) — a rising star within the GOP — tore into the Republican-controlled House of Representatives for failing to vote on a Hurricane Sandy aid package before the end of the 113th Congress on Tuesday night. “Our people were played last night as a pawn,” Christie said, adding that residents [...]/p

The GOP Clown Car Crashes, Again | Alternet

The GOP Clown Car Crashes, Again | Alternet
"Observing the Congressional Republicans repeatedly stumble in and out of their caucus clown car, blowing loud kazoos and muttering angry threats, should be painful, embarrassing and highly instructive to any American voter with the patience to watch. When their latest performance concluded late Tuesday night with a 257 to 187 vote passing the stopgap fiscal deal negotiated by the Senate and the White House, an unavoidable question lingered: What is wrong with those people?"

The Republican Party Is the Problem

The Republican Party Is the Problem
"The fight over the fiscal cliff was a reminder that the GOP remains the main impediment to economic recovery."

Arizona Losing Millions As A Result Of Anti-Immigration Law

Arizona Losing Millions As A Result Of Anti-Immigration Law: As President Obama starts off 2013 with a goal of enacting comprehensive immigration reform, states that have tried to pass their own laws on the issue are suffering the ill effects of a broken immigration system. The latest example? Officials in Phoenix, Arizona are having a hard time attracting new businesses to the city, and [...]/p

Thanks To Gerrymandering, Democrats Would Need To Win The Popular Vote By Over 7 Percent To Take Back The House

Thanks To Gerrymandering, Democrats Would Need To Win The Popular Vote By Over 7 Percent To Take Back The House: As of this writing, every single state except Hawai’i has finalized its vote totals for the 2012 House elections, and Democrats currently lead Republicans by 1,362,351 votes in the overall popular vote total. Democratic House candidates earned 49.15 percent of the popular vote, while Republicans earned only 48.03 percent — meaning that the American people [...]/p

FreedomWorks' Civil War Reveals That in Washington, Cash Trumps Ideology Every Time | Alternet

FreedomWorks' Civil War Reveals That in Washington, Cash Trumps Ideology Every Time | Alternet
"The hubbub at FreedomWorks, an instrumental force within the Tea Party, shows just how bankrupt conservative ideology really is."

Study: Rick Scott’s Long Voting Lines Cost Obama A Net 11,000 Votes In Central Florida

Study: Rick Scott’s Long Voting Lines Cost Obama A Net 11,000 Votes In Central Florida: Thanks in large part to a law signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), which cut early voting opportunities in that state, many Florida voters endured six hour lines simply to cast a ballot. These lines did not wind up costing Obama Florida’s electoral votes, but, according to an Ohio State University study, they reduced [...]/p

House Adjourns Without Passing Hurricane Sandy Relief

House Adjourns Without Passing Hurricane Sandy Relief
"This could possibly be the most despicable non-act of Congress ever."

Ryan Dobson Defends his Father's Comments About Sandy Hook, Calling Him 'a Man who is Making a Stand for Righteousness' | Right Wing Watch

Ryan Dobson Defends his Father's Comments About Sandy Hook, Calling Him 'a Man who is Making a Stand for Righteousness' | Right Wing Watch
"Shortly after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, James Dobson weighed in to declare that the shooting was evidence that God has "allowed judgment to fall upon us" because the nation has turned its back on him by accepting things like abortion and gay marriage."

Pope Benedict Slams Capitalism, Economic Inequality | Common Dreams

Pope Benedict Slams Capitalism, Economic Inequality | Common Dreams
"Pope Benedict XVI said in his New Year’s peace message today that the world was under threat from unbridled capitalism."

Uninformed Politicians Pushing US Toward Austerity

Uninformed Politicians Pushing US Toward Austerity
"Some of us had fun with a recent Business Insider poll finding that by a large margin, people who thought they knew something about the fiscal cliff believed that it would increase, not reduce, the deficit.

Hahaha — although I actually have a lot of sympathy for ordinary voters, who don't follow these things closely but know that everyone important has been warning for years that the budget deficit is Worse Than Hitler or something. How are they supposed to know that those very same people are now screaming that the deficit is coming down too fast? I have less sympathy for major political figures who also can't get it straight."

Why We Need a New Year's Revolution Against the Corporatocracy | Alternet

Why We Need a New Year's Revolution Against the Corporatocracy | Alternet
"Starting today, not next year, we all have to become climate hawks and democracy activists, breaking corporate control over the marketplace and over our elections, media, and public policy. Starting today we must move together to save our climate, our civilization, and Mother Earth."

12 Unbelievably Awful Things Fox News Did This Year | Alternet

12 Unbelievably Awful Things Fox News Did This Year | Alternet
"2012 was a dismal year for Fox News. The PR arm of the GOP failed to fulfill its prime directive: advancing the interests of Mitt Romney and the Republican Party. It spent much of the year constructing an alternative reality that left millions of its flock in shock when President Obama won an overwhelming reelection. It refused to accept the facts on the ground and denigrated polls (even its own) when the results conflicted with the fictional narrative it was peddling. And perhaps most painful of all, Fox surrendered its ratings lead to MSNBC. Two-thirds of its primetime lineup (Hannity and Van Susteren) dropped to second place behind the competition on MSNBC (Maddow and O’Donnell). However, Fox’s travails did not occur for lack of effort. It was clearly operating at the top of its capacity to distort and deceive. In the process it unleashed some of the most feverishly biased reporting, even for Fox News. "

CNN's Velshi Calls Out GOP Rep for Misleading Stats on Taxes and Small Businesses

CNN's Velshi Calls Out GOP Rep for Misleading Stats on Taxes and Small Businesses
"Velshi laid into Huelskamp for pretending that raising taxes on those making over $250,000 a year is going to harm a large number of the small businesses out there and those so-called "job creators," and gave him some grief for the stats he was quoting as well."

John McCain: GOP Will Destroy America’s Solvency Unless Entitlements Are Cut Drastically

John McCain: GOP Will Destroy America’s Solvency Unless Entitlements Are Cut Drastically: In an interview Monday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) confirmed that Congressional Republicans plan again to use the upcoming debt limit to hold the nation hostage to their demands for massive cuts to Medicare and Social Security. His comments echoed earlier remarks by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and anti-government activist Grover Norquist. Raising the debt ceiling [...]/p