by Gaius PubliusYour Open Rebellion Caucus at work, featuring Dem-on-Dem violence on trade. As usual, the press is enjoying this, and those opposed to TPP appreciate the spotlight. Thanks are due to President Obama for being so obvious about what he wants, and for not downplaying Sen.
The very very richby Gaius Publius I wrote recently about the lame-duck battle-- behind the scenes and in the press-- being waged over end-of-year "tax extenders." I offered a progressive strategy (repeated below) for maximizing the number of "good" tax credits that would be extended ("renewed"), like credits for renewable energy and expiring-in 2017 expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit
Remember the old days when all Wall Street demanded personnel-wise was that they always get to name the Treasury Secretary? Well, a few weeks ago we found out that now they're demanding that they get another Wall Street whore as DCCC chair when Israel shuffles off into oblivion; their candidate is Jim Himes (New Dem-CT).
In recent days, we've been talking a lot about the push from progressives in the Senate, particularly Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to combat the never-ending conservative goal of whittling away at Social Security by actually fighting to expand it.
This morning I was going over the Senate votes from Tuesday and I found a strange one. The Republicans successfully filibustered an amendment by Bernie Sanders to Boxer's Water Resources Development Act of 2013, which is co-sponsored by Louisiana Republican David Vitter. And in fact, Vitter was one of just 3 Republicans who broke with Miss McConnell's filibuster machine on Sanders' amendment.
