Better Donkey

Paul Krugman over at The New York Times has a solid op-ed today about the relations between W. Bush-era Republicans and the former president.

"The truth, however, is that the only problem Republicans ever had with George W. Bush was his low approval rating. They always loved his policies and his governing style -- and they want them back. In recent weeks, G.O.P. leaders have come out for a complete return to the Bush agenda, including tax breaks for the rich and financial deregulation. They've even resurrected the plan to cut future Social Security benefits. But they have a problem: how can they embrace President Bush's policies, given his record?... You know the answer. There's now a concerted effort under way to rehabilitate Mr. Bush's image on at least three fronts: the economy, the deficit and the war."

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has created a Tea Party Caucus in the U.S. Congress. To Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, who recently wrote about the caucus in his column, "Tea Party activists and Republican officeholders set aside any pretense about the two groups being separate." The caucus, founded this week, has 28 members of Congress and represents a real chance for Tea Party members to show their stuff. Critics say the group's activists have managed only to criticize President Obama and Dem leaders without offering up any alternative strategies. 

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Politico is reporting that Senate Democrats are split over whether or not to tackle energy and climate bills in the days remaining before Congress adjourns and members head home to turn up campaigns before the mid-term elections in November.  

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Republicans, arguing that the United States must reduce its monstrous budget deficit, managed to kill via filibuster three Democratic bills that would have extended unemployment insurance to the country's long-term jobless.

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Carte Goodwin, the former general council to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, has been tapped to fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by the death of Democratic Senator Robert C. Byrd.

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Congress is back in session this week and has only a month to tackle big issues before the summer recess. What are hot topics?

Immigration

Immigration is big. Lots of Americans are watching what is happening in Arizona, where lawmakers have passed a law making it a crime to be in the state without proper documentation. The White House has filed suit claiming that only the federal government has the power to regulate immigration.

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Democratic governors facing voters this election cycle are edgy about the Obama Administration's lawsuit against Arizona over the state's immigration law. The law makes it a state crime to be ...Read Full Post

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Local media in Ohio are reporting that former Ohio Rep. James Traficant has been disqualified in his post-incarceration attempt to get his job back in the U.S. House of Representatives. ...Read Full Post

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A story in today's New York Times talks about a fundamental difference among legislators in Washington: those wanting to rein in spending to control a runaway deficit, and those who ...Read Full Post

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A front page article in The New York Times today addresses a central question: What chance do Democrats have of defending House districts they captured from Republicans by slim margins in 2008?

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