Reaction was predictably immediate and sharply divided after the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan Thursday to be the next justice on the Supreme Court. Senators approved Kagan, 50, to be the fourth woman on the high court by a vote of 63-37. Five Republicans joined all but one Democrat in voting to send Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. For the first time, Kagan will become the third woman to sit on the court concurrently, creating a female...
Monthly Archives: August 2010
Analysis: Without Federal Help, Unemployment Would Be Much Higher
Although unemployment remains high and the U.S. economy remains weak, the situation would be much worse without the massive intervention that the federal government undertook in the last year and a half, according to a new analysis. The U.S. economy remains mired in severe distress, as the nation’s unemployment rate stands at nearly 10 percent, and the gross domestic product remains anemic. But without such extraordinary federal actions as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to bailout banks, the...
Right Attacks Calif. Decision As Gay ‘Roe v. Wade,’ While Progressives Vow To Press Forward
While supporters of same-sex marriage rights celebrated Wednesday’s court decision that struck down California’s ban on gay marriage, they also took a long view to note the fight would continue. Conservatives, meanwhile, immediately condemned Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling as the “Roe v. Wade” of gay rights, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court case which legalized abortion across the United States. Walker’s decision overturned Proposition 8, the California voter initiative approved in 2008 that banned gay marriage in the state...
Democrats To Leave Town Having Ditched Even Their Scaled-Back Energy Bill
Senate Democrats plan to head home for their annual August recess without acting on the scaled-down energy and oil-spill related legislation they unveiled just a week or so ago after having abandoned a more-ambitious comprehensive climate and energy bill. That leaves undone one more piece of the Democratic agenda, despite weeks of angry rhetoric heaped on BP for the Gulf Coast oil spill and vows from Democrats that they would hold the energy giant accountable. Senate Majority Leader Harry...
Book Review: The Buddha And The Dream of America by James Hilgendorf
For most Americans, Buddhism conjures exotic images of faraway lands, mysterious statues and monks in colorful robes. But with his excellent new book, James Hilgendorf proves Buddhism also reflects the American experience. Tracing the emergence of Buddhism in America to the 1844 publication of a Henry David Thoreau essay, The Buddha And The Dream of America is a great read for all Americans, Buddhist or not. Although clearly rooted in Buddhist philosophy, Hilgendorf’s small-press paperback is at least as...
Political Fundraising Begins To Tap Progressive Frustration
Political fundraising on the left now is acknowledging, even harnessing, a sense of antipathy among progressives who feel Democrats have not sufficiently delivered on their priorities. Organizations inside the Democratic Party establishment have begun to recognize what has been a sense of frustration within the party’s liberal base building for a year or more. At least one group outside the establishment is not only recognizing that anger, but are working to capitalize on it, as well. Progressives have become...
Left, Right Both See Value In Big Pre-election Tax Cut Battle
Democrats and Republicans both appear eager to force a showdown prior to the November elections over whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts for wealthy Americans. Enacted in the early years of the Bush administration, those tax cuts are due to expire at the end of the year unless Congress approves an extension. Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats, however, seem happy to see the sun set on tax cuts that were, at the time of their enactment, a...
The Sincerest Form of Flattery: GOP Proposes Spill Solutions They Once Filibustered
Senate Republicans are offering a number of proposals in response to the monster Gulf Coast oil spill — including solutions that they filibustered when Democrats first introduced them. The GOP energy plan is in response to a Democratic energy bill rolled out this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) designed to hold BP accountable for the damage caused by the massive oil disaster resulting from the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. That disaster...
Recent Comments