He returned from a one-week hiatus and took on the Republican party and Fox News effort to turn that sow’s ear of the shut down debacle into a silk purse of victory. [Read more…]

The way in which a bill becomes a law was, in theory, supposed to be along the lines of this much-loved animation from the collection known as Schoolhouse Rock, educational clips set to music and aimed at children. [Read more…]

After talking tough like the Hulk about how you don’t want to make him angry because he is dangerous when he is angry, senator Lindsey Graham is now pleading with his opponents not to hurt him, something that The Hulk would never do. [Read more…]

In all these discussions over the Affordable Care Act and its Medicaid provision, the Republican party talks in high-minded terms of the cost, and they sigh regretfully that any adverse consequences for the working poor are the unfortunate side effects of the sacrifice we have to make for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Those hurt now are collateral damage, if you will, and need to suck it up. [Read more…]

Since what the Republicans are doing has been likened to a hostage taking, Jason Jones decided to get the advice of an expert in hostage negotiations when he talked with Noelle Nikpour, a Republican strategist. [Read more…]

The Onion had a point-counterpoint exchange with John Boehner debating himself over the shutdown and his role in it. In the first part, Boehner recites the official line, saying the same things he has been saying at his public appearances. [Read more…]

Scott Rigell, a Republican congressman, seems to have decided to not follow the party line on how to vote on the shut down and is now calling for a vote on a ‘clean’ continuing resolution. He was the only Republican to vote against a continuing resolution that defunded the Affordable Care Act, though his reason for doing so was because it didn’t replace the sequester. [Read more…]