The Daily Change

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Iowa State SenatorAi??Jeff Danielson (D) has announced that he will soonAi??introduce bills to accomplish three important political reforms:

-A resolution that the General Assembly supports the repeal of Citizenai??i??s United, a U.S. Supreme Court decision that prohibited limitations on independent expenditures.
-A bill that requires full disclosure in campaigns.
-A measure that sets up a mechanism for public financing of political campaigns.

The Iowa Public Interest Research Group estimatesAi??that “96.21 percent of the money spent on Iowa House races came from groups registered outside the state. Those groups spent $8.3 million, and 36.6 percent of those dollars came from undisclosed donors.”

Want to help us pass badly needed reforms? Click here to join PCCC’s Take Back Democracy campaign.

Last week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D) declared a public health emergency in response to the flu epidemic, which has now seen cases in 47 states.

But despite this epidemic, one corporate front group is advocating for banning cities from enacting legislation guaranteeing paid sick days to employees.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday that one of its top legislative priorities this year would be blocking local governments from adopting paid sick-time measures such as the one pending in Orange County.

At a news conference inAi??Tallahassee, Chamber President Mark Wilson said his powerful business group wantsAi??a lawAi??that would ban cities and counties from creating varying paid-sick-leave rules across the state.

Advocates of a sick-leave ballot measure in Orange County — where the local council denied people the right to vote on such an effort this past election — blasted the Chamber’s move.

“It’s not surprising that the chamber wants to deny 50,000 people the right to vote on an issue that they can legally petition their government on,” said Stephanie Porta, executive director of Organize Now. “Just as the chamber will be counting votes on this disenfranchising bill, we will as well.”

Recall that the Florida Chamber is sponsored by some of the biggest corporate names in the state. Its board of trustees includes representatives from AT&T, Walt Disney, IBM, and others.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), the main gun lobby, has refused to consider any common sense gun reforms following several mass shootings. It has instead chosen to be the primary group working to block reforms.

But the NRA wasn’t always so extreme. In fact, for the majority of its 141 year history, the organization backed gun regulation and rarely if ever claimed that regulations were unconstitutional.

In 1934, the group’s president Karl T. Frederick testified in support of certain gun regulations that later made it into the National Firearms Act of 1934, one of the first federal gun laws. The law regulated “gangster weapons” used by organized crime, such as machine guns and short barrel shotguns.

During the testimony, Congressman Clemon T. Dickinson of Missouri asked Frederick if he thought anything being debated was unconstitutional. Although Frederick replied that he thought firearm regulation was a state issue, he also said he had not “given it any study from that point of view” that regulating guns may be unconstitutional.

Frederick also explained his view about practical gun ownership, one that would be heretical among NRA leadership today:

Ai??I have never believed in the general practice of carrying weapons. I seldom carry one. I have when I felt it was desirable to do so for my own protection. I know that applies in most of the instances where guns are used effectively in self-defense or in places of business and in the home. I do not believe in the general promiscuous toting of guns. I think it should be sharply restricted and only under licenses.

Frederick did caution against over-regulating weapons during his testimony, but as the transcript above demonstrates, did not oppose all new gun regulations.

The NRA also went on to support the Gun Control Act of 1968. In …

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)

This afternoon, President Obama unveiled a new package of gun reforms. Some of the far-right are already on the attack. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) issued a statement claiming Obama is showing “disdain” for the Second Amendment and instead said we must hold “Hollywood” accountable for gun violence:

“The Second Amendment is non-negotiable. The right to bear arms is a right, despite President Obama’s disdain for the Second Amendment and the Constitution’s limits on his power. Congress must stand firm for the entirety of the Constitution – even if, but particularly so, when President Obama seeks to ignore his obligation to ‘preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ Taking away the rights and abilities of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves is yet another display of the Obama Administration’s consolidation of power.”

“Washington and all of America must have a serious debate and honest discussion about what fuels a very small segment of the population to inflict harm and instill fear. This means holding Hollywood accountable for its culture of violence and death, and talking about mental health issues and the responsibilities of families and communities. Furthermore, Americans demand the Obama Administration enforce current laws. The latest information, according to Syracuse University, shows that federal weapons prosecutions are down dramatically – meaning that the Obama Administration is neglecting its obligation to enforce current law. Apparently public safety matters only when there’s political gain to be had. How can we expect them to act on new laws if they cannot even enforce the ones that currently exist?”

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Rep. Steve Roth (R-TX)

Today, President Obama introduced a sweeping package of gun reforms to Congress. Before Obama ever unveiled his proposal, the far-right was reacting with radical counter-proposals. In Texas, one state representative introduced a bill that would mandate the arrest any federal employee who tried to implement a law restricting semi-automatic firearms or the size of gun magazines:

Meanwhile,Ai??1200 WOAI reportsAi??that in Texas, Republican state Rep. Steve Toth plans to introduce a bill that would make it illegal to enforce in the state any federal laws restricting semi-automatic firearms or the size of gun magazines.

Toth told 1200 WOAI that the bill would also call for felony charges to be brought against federal officials who attempt to enforce any such rules.

“If a federal official comes into the state of Texas to enforce the federal executive order, that person is subject to criminal prosecution,” Toth told 1200 WOAI.

The proposed bill is unconstitutional, as the Constitution mandates that federal law trumps that of states.
UPDATE: Mississippi’s Republican governor has now called for a similar measure.

Click here to sign our pledge to call Congress and the White House once a month until common-sense reforms are passed.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) response to the President’s gun violence prevention proposals just made:

“We applaud the White House plan to think big and take bold action against gun killings. The PCCC is all in for this fight, investing time and money in Republican and Democratic districts until Congress passes major gun legislation that includes an assault weapons ban.” –Ai??Stephanie Taylor, Co-Founder, PCCC

Click here to sign our pledge to call Congress and the White House once a month until common-sense reforms are passed.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

A number of House and Senate Republicans have vowed to threaten the full faith and credit of the United States by holding the debt ceiling hostage unless they get cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits.

In an interview with a local paper, Alaskan Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski vocally disagreed with her colleagues on this issue:

Murkowski, at a News-Miner editorial board meeting on Jan. 9, said she doesnai??i??t think the debt limit should be used for political leverage. Since borrowing will be required to pay off debts the country has already incurred, she said it would reflect badly on the U.S. to leave its willingness to pay those bills in doubt. […] Murkowski said not all of her colleagues in the Senate will say it out loud, but she believes most agree that failing to raise the debt limit would harm perception of the country. ai???If you incur an obligation, you have a responsibility to pay for that,ai??? Murkowski said.

As we noted earlier this month, 17 currently-seated Republican Senators and 76 currently-seated Republican House members have voted for clean debt ceiling increases in the past.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)

Today, the House of Representatives is debating and voting on additional aid for Hurricane Sandy victims. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) — who had in the past said that global warming is a Ai??”hoax” — sponsored an amendment to cut funding for forecasting and storm modeling from the bill. Here’s how he justified his amendment:

BROUN: Ai??Our hearts go out to the victims who have suffered from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. However, in the wake of large storms like this, governments’ knee-jerk reaction is often to throw money at forecasting or storm modeling in order to prevent widespread damage in the future. Unfortunately, even with the best imaginable system, forecasting systems, we would not have been able to prevent the structural damages which resulted from this particular storm. Yet here we are.

Watch it:

Although storm forecasting may not be able to prevent all structural damage, it can help save lives. “By improving our forecasts, we can alert the public, emergency managers, air carriers, utility companies and others sooner so they can prepare more effectively for significant storms, and save lives, property and money,” said National Center for Environmental Protection Chief Science Officer and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps Capt. Barry Choy in a recent press release.

Aaron Swartz at first-ever PCCC team retreat, 2009. Washington, DC.

On Friday, programmer and activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide. Today, as friends and family gather for his funeral, we are releasing the following statement on his passing:

“Today is the funeral of Aaron Swartz, whoAi??contributed so much to the launch of the Progressive Change Campaign CommitteeAi??and our technology during our first 20 months, from January 2009 to August 2010. Aaron joined our PCCC team with the goal of learning about effective online activism and went on to playAi??an instrumental role in the fightAi??for Wall Street reformAi??and against SOPA.Ai??His suicide followed an over-zealous prosecution for a crime with no victims — by a Justice Department that has yet to prosecute the Wall Street bankers who destroyed our economy and harmed millions of lives. Our hearts go out to Aaron’s familyAi??and partner.

Aaron’s funeral will be held at 10am central at Highland Park ChabadAi??Synagogue, 874 Central Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois 60035.

UPDATE:

The Chicago Sun-Times quotes Swartz’s father on his death:

Aaron Swartz was ai???killed by the government,ai??? his father, Robert Swartz said at a memorial service Tuesday morning for the 26-year-old tech genius who killed himself in the face of felony charges heai??i??d stolen millions of files from MIT.

Swartz said his son was ai???hounded by the government, and MIT refused him.ai???

ai???He was killed by the government, and MIT betrayed all of its basic principles,ai??? he said.

The Associated Press quotes Tim Berners-Lee:

Tim Berners-Lee, who developed the World Wide Web, and Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, director of the Safra Center for Ethics where Swartz was once a fellow, both spoke at the funeral.

ai???ai???We felt the indictment was nonsense and that he would be acquitted,ai??i??ai??i?? Berners-Lee told the newspaper after the service.

UPDATE II:

Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig and activist Ben …

Today, New York City’s school bus workers announced that they will go on strike on Wednesday morning.

Here’s everything you need to know about why they are taking this dramatic labor action:

The Department of Education Is Bidding Out Contracts That Undermine Job Security:Ai??The Department of Education, is for the “first time in 33 years is trying to bid out new contracts for 1,100 bus routes for children with special needs.” That means a contract without anAi??Employee Protection Provision that ensures that current senior drivers have job security.Ai??TheAi??Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181Ai??is demanding that there are protections put in place to protect the 7,700 existing school bus workers.
Bidding Out Drivers May Endanger Service And Safety: The union is arguing that the existing school bus workforce is the most senior and the most experienced. By bringing in private transit drivers, the city may cut costs but will be dealing with a work force with less knowledge of the area and less experience.

ai???There is only one party responsible for the possible job action by unionized bus drivers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union: Mayor Bloomberg and his administration. For weeks now, City Hall has refused to discuss the job-killing provisions they are insisting on as part of new contracts with bus contractors. Itai??i??s almost as if City Hall wants this strike to happen for some perverse reason,ai??? said Teamsters Local 854 President Dan Gatto in a statement he released in solidarity with the strikers.

If you are a New York City resident and want to support the bus drivers, text “Safety1st” to 877877

The over-emphasis on standardized testing has set off a revolt among many teachers, who believe that testing is overtaking an emphasis on aAi??holisticAi??curriculum.

In Seattle, teachers at Garfield High School actually decided to refuse to administer the local “Measures of Academic Progress” (MAP) standardized test. Soon after, teachers at nearby Ballard High School decided to refuse to administer the test as well.

The teachers write in an open letter that the test “remains unwanted and unneeded and unsolicited by SPS [Seattle Public Schools] professional classroom educators,” and that it has no bearing on the students’ graduation or course credits.

I talked to Kris McBride, who is an academic dean and testing coordinator at Garfield. “We’re not opposing any of the high-stakes testing that are kids are required to take. We’re only opposing this test, the MAP,” she told me. “Our staffAi??membersAi??have said, this test, it’s not working, it was brought on within a scandal, our superintendent sat on the board of the committee that makes this test….It was brought in under pretty ridiculous circumstancesAi??andAi??sort of shoved down our throat. A lot of people who sat on our committee said this test doesn’t even match our curriculum….There’s just no way it’s a good measure of what our students are supposed to learn….our Algebra teachers saying my kids are in an Algebra 1 class, they’re asked to take this test, they go in and sit down and are looking at Geomertry problems on the computer. That doesn’t match the curriculum.”

Remarkably, she told me that there are no practice problems even given to students before they are required to give the exam. She also mentioned it would take 124 class periods to administer this exam to the entire school — a dramatic time sink.

I asked McBride …

A chart of global infant mortality rates in 2008

It is a conservative mantra that the United States has the best health care system in the world. But a just-released report casts doubt on this assertion by showing that health outcomes are worse in the United States than in 17 major developed countries (although the health care system is not the only factor).

Here are some highlights from the report, which was issued by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council:

Ai??The U.S. Has Abysmal Life Expectancy: In the 17 developed countries studied, the United States ranked last in life expectancy for men. For women, the U.S. ranks second-last.
Firearm Homicides Drag Down Life Expectancy: The report found that firearm homicides were twenty times higher in the United States than the other countries studied.
Infant Mortality And Health Among Children Is Worse In The United States: The U.S. had the highest infant mortality rate among all countries studied. Meanwhile, it’s young people had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases.

The researchers also released this video to highlight the findings. Check it out:

We don’t think this is the sort of health care system we should have. Click here to join our Medicare for All campaign.

It’s time to look at sensible gun reforms. Click here to pledge to call Congress and the White House once a month until common sense reforms are enacted.

Bobby Jindal

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal (R) has put forth a radical proposal to completely eliminate corporate and income taxes in his state. Here’s an excerpt of the statement he put out with his proposal:

The bottom line is that for too long, Louisiana’s workers and small businesses have suffered from having a state tax structure that is too complex and that holds back economic prosperity. It’s time to change that so people can keep more of their own money and foster an environment where businesses want to invest and create good-paying jobs.

The local press is reporting that, in order to keep his proposal revenue neutral, Jindal is considering hiking the state sales tax from 4 to 7 percent. That’s a 75 percent increase in a tax primarily paid for by the middle and working class. This would involve a huge shift in taxAi??responsibilitiesAi??from the rich — the state currently has three income tax brackets which require wealthier citizens to pay more — to the rest of Louisiana.

Phil Gingrey

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) is a staunch conservative. He has an “A” rating from the NRA and received the group’s endorsement in his last run for office.

But after the tragic events of Sandy Hook, even Gingrey is rethinking his views. In an interview with the Marietta Daily Journal, Gingrey talked about how he might be open to regulating high-capacity magazines and tougher background checks for those who buy guns:

ai???There are some problems, and maybe these huge magazines even for someone who says, ai???look, I just use an AR-15 for target practice,ai??i?? but do you really need to be standing there shooting at a silhouette a shot a second or even quicker with that kind of weapon? For what purpose?ai??? Gingrey asked. ai???I would be willing to listen to the possibility of the capacity of a magazine.ai??? […]Ai??ai???What it is basically, if you go to a gun show and thereai??i??s somebody out there in the parking lot, and theyai??i??re getting out of their car, and theyai??i??ve got an A-15 on their shoulder or ai??i??. John Q. Public wants to sell a handgun or whatever, then thereai??i??s no background check,ai??? Gingrey said. ai???You know, youai??i??re buying a used weapon from somebody and then basically no background check.ai??? […]Ai??With the sophistication of smartphone technology, there should be an application that allows someone selling a gun to run a background check with relative ease, he said.

Gingrey referenced the man responsible for the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, describing how he was judged by a psychiatrist to be a danger to himself and ordered to undergo outpatient treatment. Ai??ai???But because it wasnai??i??t in-patient, it was not required to put his name in a databank,ai??? Gingrey said. ai???Well, I think in the state of Georgia the …

Roosevelt with Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne B. Barnhart

The Boston Globe reports this morning thatAi??Tufts Health Plan chief executive James Roosevelt Jr. is being considered for the ObamaAi??administration’sAi??nomination to head the Social Security Administration.

Last May, he wrote an op-ed with Robert L. Reynolds, a Republican and CEO of Putnam Investments,Ai??Ai??where he advocates for raising the Social Security retirement age at a brisker pace as well as cutting back the growth of benefits with a different Consumer Price Index (CPI):

On the benefits side, we should change the way we calculate the cost-of-living adjustment for all beneficiaries, by utilizing a revised Consumer Price Index which most economists agree more accurately reflects the rate of inflation for the expenses most seniors incur. Such a change would curb the rate of increase in benefits for future generations of retirees […]

Lastly, we should accelerate the rise in Social Securityai??i??s full-benefit retirement age from age 67 to 68 by 2030 and then index the full benefit age for future generations to gains in longevity. Life expectancy past age 65 has risen nearly 50 percent since 1940, when Social Security first began regular monthly payments. That said, we should improve disability options for those engaged in physically demanding jobs. No one expects coal miners or telephone line crews to work into their late 60s.

“There is actually no agreement that the chained CPI provides a better measure of inflation for seniors. An experimental index constructed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually shows that the elderly experience a higher rate of inflation primarily because they consume more health care,” says economist Dean Baker. “It is also likely that they don’t substitute as much between items as other consumers.Ai??If the concern is accuracy then the answer would be to have …

The NRA has specialized in hiring up former Democratic staffers to block gun control.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) claims to represent gun owners, but it primarily represents the extreme views of gun companies that fund it. Thanks to their dollars, it has been able to stop both Republicans and Democrats in the past from even debating common sense gun control measures, like closing the gun show loophole.

In 2012, the NRA actually went outside of its ownAi??sizableAi??lobbying operation (it employed 15 registered lobbyists in-house) to hire up some outside lobbying groups to lobby on everything from Department of Justice tracking of guns to tax issues.

One way it has managed to be so influential is by hiring up former key staffers to top Senate Democrats. One of these it hired was Patrick Robertson, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). Robertson works for the lobbying firm C2 group, where he works for a number of other clients including the fast food industry.

Despite his connection to Rockefeller, the Senator has oftenAi??stood up to the NRA, earning him an “D” rating from the group.

But the NRA also employed Jeff Forbes ofAi??Cauthen, Forbes & Williams, which recently became Forbes-Tate. Forbes is a former Chief of Staff to Senator Max Baucus (D-MT). who also worked for President Clinton and served as anAi??adviserAi??to the Obama campaign. Baucus has been a strong ally of the NRA, and received an “A” rating from the group. He even cut a video for a 2009 NRA national forum:

Following the tragic Sandy Hook shooting, fellow Montana Senator Jon Tester (D) suggested that laws relating to assault weapons should be looked at. But Baucus’s response was much more muted, saying instead that …

Elizabeth Warren called out AIG, and it backed down.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Ai??AIG would reward taxpayers for their $182 billion bailoutAi??by suing the government over the terms of the rescue.

Bold progressive Elizabeth Warren immediately called out AIG and condemned its behavior:

Beginning in 2008, the federal government poured billions of dollars into AIG to save it from bankruptcy. AIG’s reckless bets nearly crashed our entire economy. Taxpayers across this country saved AIG from ruin, and it would be outrageous for this company to turn around and sue the federal government because they think the deal wasn’t generous enough,” said Warren in a statement. “Even today, the government provides an ongoing, stealth bailout, propping up AIG with special tax breaks — tax breaks that Congress should stop. AIG should thank American taxpayers for their help, not bite the hand that fed them for helping them out in a crisis.

Politico reports this afternoon that AIG’s board met and decided not to join the lawsuit being considered, representing an early victory for Warren and, by extension, American taxpayers.

“It’s just like someone maybe who is drowning in the water and who is saved by some hero and then says, ‘Hey, while you were saving me, you choked me a little bit. So I’m going to sue you.’ That’s simply what AIG is doing. Yesterday, Elizabeth Warren came out very publicly,” explainedAi??Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green on C-SPAN this morning.Ai??”She’s not just keeping her head down, she’s keeping it straight, front and center and said, ‘This is absolutely wrong, this isAi??unconscionable.’ And I think it’s a real breath of fresh air, that someone didn’t use weasly words and beat around the bush but to say bad corporate …

Michelle Rhee’s anti-teachers union organization StudentsFirst has just put out a “report card” of education systems state by state. In the ranking, which can be found here, Louisiana and Florida are the two top-rated states.

The placing of these two states at the top of the list is curious. StudentsFirst gave higher ratings to states that emphasized the use of charter schools and teacher evaluations based on high-stakes testing. But her organization ignored actual results. For example, it gave a “D” rating — the second-worst — toAi??Massachusetts, which has some of the highest test scores on theAi??Ai??National Assessment ofAi??EducationalAi??Progress exam.

There is one thing that Florida and Louisiana have in common — they are among the worst states for teacher compensation. Florida in 2011 ranked 47th in the country for teacher salaries. Louisiana’s average teacher salary is 42nd in the country.

To put things in perspective, the starting salary of a teacher in Catahoula Parish in Lousiana who has a bachelor’s degree is $31,322. That’s less money than Rhee charges for one speech she gives. It appears that Rhee’s ratings of education systems disregard poor wages for the actual educators.

Many leading educators are not giving Rhee’s system much credibility. “This is an organization that makes its living by asserting that schools are failing. I would have been surprised if we had got anything else,” saidAi??Californiaai??i??s deputy superintendent of schools, Richard Zeigler, about Rhee’s “F” rating of California’s schools.

Republicans want to hold the debt ceiling hostage to enact painful cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits. Democratic leaders are urging President Obama not to deal over the debt ceiling and to deny Republicans their leverage.

Here’s a bit of information that may help that cause. We’ve tallied the votes on previous clean hikes of the debt ceiling, and found that 76 currently-seated Ai??House Republicans have voted for clean debt ceiling hikes in the past. Here are their names:

Reps. Jo Bonner (R-AL), Mike Rogers (R-AL), RobertAi??Aderholt (R-AL),Ai??Ai??Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Don Young (R-AK),Ai??Trent Franks (R-AZ),Ai??Devin Nunes (R-CA), Buck McKeon (R-CA),Ai??Edward (Ed) Royce (R-CA),Ai??Gary Miller (R-CA),Ai??Ken Calvert (R-CA),Ai??Ai??Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA),Ai??Darrell Issa (R-CA),Ai??Jeff Miller (R-FL),Ai??Ai??Ander Crenshaw (R-FL),Ai??John Mica (R-FL),Ai??C. W. Bill Young (R-FL),Ai??Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL),Ai??Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL),Ai??Jack Kingston (R-GA),Ai??John (Phil) Gingrey (R-GA),Ai??Michael (Mike) Simpson (R-ID),Ai??John Shimkus (R-IL),Ai??Thomas (Tom) Latham (R-IA),Ai??Steve King (R-IA),Ai??Edward (Ed) Whitfield (R-KY),Ai??Harold (Hal) Rogers (R-KY),Ai??Rodney Alexander (R-LA),Ai??David (Dave) Camp (R-MI),Ai??Frederick (Fred) Upton (R-MI),Ai??Michael (Mike) Rogers (R-MI),Ai??Candice Miller (R-MI),Ai??John Kline (R-MN),Ai??Samuel (Sam) Graves (R-MO),Ai??Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO),Ai??Lee Terry (R-NE),Ai??Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ),Ai??Christopher (Chris) Smith (R-NJ),Ai??Scott Garrett (R-NJ),Ai??Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ),Ai??Peter (Pete) King (R-NY),Ai??Howard Coble (R-NC),Ai??Michael Turner (R-OH),Ai??Ai??John Boehner (R-OH),Ai??Patrick (Pat) Tiberi (R-OH),Ai??Ai??Frank Lucas (R-OK),Ai??Tom Cole (R-OK),Ai??Greg Walden (R-OR),Ai??Ai??Jim Gerlach (R-PA),Ai??Joseph Pitts (R-PA),Ai??Tim Murphy (R-PA), Joe Wilson (R-SC),Ai??Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),Ai??Samuel (Sam) Johnson (R-TX),Ai??Ralph Hall (R-TX),Ai??Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),Ai??Joe Barton (R-TX),Ai??John Culberson (R-TX),Ai??Kevin Brady (R-TX),Ai??Kay Granger (R-TX),Ai??William (Mac) Thornberry (R-TX),Ai??Randy Neugebauer (R-TX),Ai??Lamar Smith (R-TX), Ai??Michael Burgess (R-TX),Ai??John Carter (R-TX),Ai??Peter (Pete) Sessions (R-TX),Ai??Ai??Rob Bishop (R-UT),Ai??J. Randy Forbes (R-VA),Ai??Robert (Bob) Goodlatte (R-VA),Ai??Eric Cantor (R-VA),Ai??Frank Wolf (R-VA),Ai??Ai??Doc Hastings (R-WA),Ai??Shelley Capito (R-WV),Ai??Paul Ryan (R-WI),Ai??F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI),Ai??Thomas (Tom) Petri (R-WI)

Additionally, 17 currently-seated Republican Senators have voted for a clean debt ceiling hike in the past. Here are their names:

Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Richard …

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC)

House Republicans have faced strong internal divisions over Hurricane Sandy, as northeastern Republicans have demanded quick relief to victims while much of the rest of the party has balked at the price tag.

Both the House and Senate passed a $9.7 billion relief package last week, but the House is expected to take on a larger $51 billion package next week. Appearing on Fox News, Rep. Trey Growdy (R-SC) cast doubt on the passage of the larger bill by saying that “at least half of it is pork”:

GROWDY: The bill we’re going to vote on January 15th? At least half of it [is pork.] […] Rooftops in the District of Columbia. At least half of what Harry Reid calls an “emergency” is pork. Frankly, Governor Christie wants to bully and berate and badger people into passing a bill no matter how pork-laden it is. Ai??[…] I don’t think it’s asking too much that we find an offset. […]

Watch it:

Recall that “rooftops” in Washington, D.C. are very much related to Hurricane Sandy — the nation’s capital city was directly in the path of the super storm.

An anti-fracking protest sign in New York. (Photo credit: Flickr user Bosc d’Anjou)

This week, Matt Damon’s drama Promised Land releases in theaters nationwide. The film showcases one town’s struggle to stop the controversial dirty energy process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in their vicinity.

In Pennsylvania, the fracking industry is fighting back against the message of Damon’s film by buying a pro-frackingAi??propagandaAi??message in 75 percent of theaters in the state:

Before many Pennsylvania moviegoers settle in for Matt Damon’s film about the fight over natural gas drilling, they will see a message from the energy industry offering “straightforward facts” about hydraulic fracturing. […] The on-screen ad that will be shown in 75 percent of Pennsylvania theaters lasts 16 seconds and refers the audience to an industry-sponsored website,Ai??www.learnaboutshale.org, for “a community conversation on natural gas.” It’s sponsored by the Marcellus Shale Coalition industry group in Pittsburgh.

Supporting the fracking industry has in recent years become a political liability. Blue Dog Democrat Tim Holden (D-PA) was defeated in his primary late last year partly because he supported expanding the use of fracking.

This morning, President Obama announced that he will be picking former Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his nominee for Secretary of Defense.

There are many different issues that Hagel will face during his confirmation hearings, and progressives can be expected to question him on his past conservative opposition to gay rights.

Here’s one area where he’s more progressive. In a 2011 interview with the Financial Times, he said that the budget is “in many ways bloated” and said that it must be “pared down.”

“War costs money and Hagel understands that. Many believe Hagel wants to dramatically reduce the Department of Defense budget,” writes defense analyst and veteran Kerry Patton. “How many critics realize how much fraud, waste, and abuse rests within the DOD? Any level-headed individual can go into any government office and find wasteful spending. There is no better time than now to take a close look at wasteful spending and start making cuts.”

This would put Hagel to the left of the current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who resisted major defense cuts.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

On Wednesday, we reported that Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said on MSNBC that Republicans should be willing to shut down the government to get Democrats to agree to radical cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Today, BondBuyer’s Jen DePaul reports that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) made a similar threat:

We can only imagine what Cornyn means by “the long-term fiscal health of our country,” but it seems he is willing to go to incredible lengths to secure his right-wing ideological vision.

Democrats should not fear staring down Republicans over a government shutdown. Recall that in the 1990’s, Speaker Newt Gingrich’s (R-GA) shut down of the government resulted in a dive in the polls.

Image from Americans for Tax Fairness

The corporate front group “Fix The Debt” still wants to cut Social Security benefits and lower the corporate tax rate. Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is working with the group, and he appeared on MSNBC today and made the remarkable claim that Obama needs to hike the Medicare age and cut Social Security benefits with a chained CPI, comparing it to President Lincoln leading on the 13th amendment and freeing the slaves:

RENDELL: Give the President credit, he said he would consider chained CPI, he said back in 2011 that he would raise the Medicare age, with carveouts. […] Those are things he’s going to have to deliver. […] He has to lead. And boy I’d love the whole Congress, this new Congress and the President, they should all go see a screening of Lincoln together, because Abraham Lincoln led on the 13th amendment when everybody on both sides told him he was crazy.

Watch it:

Hiking the Medicare age to 67 would cost seniors 11 billion dollars every year. Meanwhile, a chained CPI would cut a senior’s benefit by over $1,100 every year by time they hit age 85.

It is simply difficult to see the comparison between harming our seniors and freeing the slaves.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)

Newly-elected Republican Rep. Andy Barr (KY) loves Big Coal. During his campaign, he even had a coal company executive pose as a miner for a commercial he cut.Ai??We’ve just been passed on a list of Congressional swearing-in and inaugural parties today, and it turns out Barr is having his party today from 5:30-7:30 PM ET at the National Mining Association (NMA), one of the chief lobbying organizations for Big Coal.

Big Coal was the single largest corporate donor to his campaign, with NMA pitching in $5,000.