Raising the debt limit could be tricky
August 14, 2009
Geithner asks for support as he pushes Congress to raise the cap on how much the nation can borrow.
Advertising: Host Loses Some Sponsors After an Obama Remark
August 14, 2009
As commentary on cable news reaches a rhetorical boiling point, advertisers may become more skittish about being near it.
Ad Campaign Counterattacks Against Overhaul’s Critics
August 14, 2009
A coalition favoring a revamping of health care opened a TV ad campaign aimed at countering criticism generated at town-hall-type gatherings.
Obama Proposal to Create Medicare Panel Meets With Resistance
August 14, 2009
Some lawmakers question whether Congress should delegate power to a new group that is not politically accountable.
6th grader: ‘I was a little nervous’
August 14, 2009
The student journalist calls Obama his “homeboy.”
U.S. to Resume Training Georgian Troops
August 14, 2009
The training effort, which risks angering Russia, is meant to prepare Georgian troops to fight in Afghanistan.
FEC split on targeting Specter donors
August 14, 2009
FEC lawyers draft two conflicting responses to the Club for Growth’s plan to target now-Dem senator.
Disorganized grassroots anger
August 14, 2009
Are the angry protests at all these town hall meetings part of an organized conspiracy funded by the health care lobbyists or a real, honest-to-God grassroots campaign that reflects honest American anger over the out-of-control cost of medical care and the general state of things today?
A bit of both, I think.
The protests, no doubt, started because some fatcat lobbyists in Washington paid a consulting firm to organize a phony "grassroots" effort to stop Obama’s health care reform.
But the organized effort also sparked simmering anger in the populace and things got out of hand.
The rowdy side of Democracy
August 14, 2009
Americans at county fairs are friendly and nice. Americans at family reunions are fabulous. Americans at town-hall meetings? Not so great.
August being the month for all three, we are seeing a particularly dark side of ourselves this month.
Health care: Who can scream the loudest?
August 14, 2009
The health-care debate has turned raucous. Angry crowds are showing up at "town halls" to protest congressmen who support President Obama’s proposals to reform and expand health-insurance coverage in America.
Democrats say Republicans are trying to drown out the debate by shouting down reform advocates; Republicans say Democrats are trying to stifle dissent. Either way, the debate about health reform has become a debate about the debate.
Is this any way to behave in a democracy? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, jump into the fray.