Earlier this week, we saw Democrats lose the crucial budget vote in the House, in part, because not all of their Members showed up to actually vote. It raised serious questions about whether the party is serious about actually regaining the majority. But today there is hope - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is preparing to take a dramatic step that could send the GOP's draconian budget cuts down to defeat.

Pelosi's press release spells it out:

"The Senate passed its immoral budget by a narrow margin of 51 to 50, with Vice President Dick Cheney breaking the tie. Because Democrats forced several changes to the budget bill, it now must come back to the House to be voted on again. Pelosi will not allow approval by unanimous consent and will request a recorded vote."

Pelosi's statement in her release makes it clear why this is important:

"Democrats believe this Republican bill has the wrong priorities. That is why we will request a recorded vote where all Members return to Washington to make clear their values to the America people. Democrats will work with our allies to fight for a budget that represents the values and needs of all Americans."

This is basically an unprecedented move - Democrats have long just rolled over and allowed these "unanimous consent" agreements to pass, but now they are putting their foot down. Pelosi is saying enough is enough - no more budgets that takes billions out of health care and puts it into new tax cuts for the very wealthy.

Let's hope every single Democrat shows up for this vote, and puts this bill down to defeat.

from sirotablog

Four days before Christmas, the U.S. Senate votes 51-50 in favor of a brutal budget package that cuts funding for health care, student loans, child support enforcement, foster care funding, and other programs by $40 billion over the next five years. Details here.

from thinkprogress

from thinkprogress

So for those of you not following this... the defense appropriations bill is up for a vote... added to it is funding for avian flu and katrina victims.... ALSO ADDED is drilling in the ANWR......

Dental hygienists will have a reason to smile if a bill proposed for the upcoming state legislative session passes.

from stateline.org

We've heard a lot lately from the Bush administration about how the economy is supposedly doing so well for so many Americans - happy talk that ignores the fact that workers' real wages have decreased since President Bush was first elected. But a new USA Today story goes a long way in explaining why the White House thinks everything is A.O.K.

As Greg Farrell reports, CEO pay is skyrocketing as never before - both at companies that are doing well, and companies that are losing money. Whereas workers are regularly told to accept draconian pay cuts when the company faces financial trouble (think Delphi), CEO and top executives at these same companies are rolling in cash.

In a confidential letter written by major pension funds and obtained by the paper, we learn "that CEO pay at many companies in the Russell 3000 index (representing 99% of the U.S. stock market) bore no relation to how well those companies performed." Here's more:

"At 60 of the worst-performing companies in that group, which lost $769 billion in market value over the past five years, the aggregate pay for the top five executives of those 60 companies over the same period was $12 billion. In other words, since January of 2000, some 300 executives who were responsible for more than three-quarters of a trillion dollars in shareholder value vanishing were rewarded by their shareholders with salary, bonuses and stock options worth $12 billion. That averages out to $40 million for each of those companies' top five executives over the five-year period, or $8 million per executive per year."

full article @ sirota blog

Bush has repeatedly claimed that “as Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.” Tonight he said:

At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy … more than 50 are taking the lead … and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi control.

If that’s true, why are there still 153,000 American troops in Iraq, as many as there have ever been? Why can’t 125 battalions replace a single American soldier?

from thinkprogress

Good Fucking Question!!!

From his radio address this morning:

This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security. Its purpose is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against the United States, our friends, and allies. Yesterday, the existence of this secret program was revealed in media reports after being improperly provided to news organizations. …I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September the 11th attacks

Bush claimed it was consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution. Many experts disagree.

from thinkprogress